Being Heard
by Take these ships away from me
Summary: Onodera Ritsu is not sure about a lot of things, least of all his feelings. But one thing he does know is that he's spent his entire life not being heard.
1. Being Heard

_**Being Heard**_

* * *

 _Author's Notes: Look, I literally haven't written anything in a good year or two but last night at 2 a.m I could not sleep so I present you with this. Please take it away from me._

* * *

Onodera Ritsu is not sure about a lot of things.

He's not sure if he _actually_ has a fiance. He's not sure if he has what it takes to learn to be a decent Manga Editor. And he is certainly not sure about his own feelings.

But Ritsu _is_ sure about one thing.

Ever since he can remember, no matter what he says, or how loudly he speaks, his voice is always being drowned out.

This is not always literal, of course.

 _"I won't marry An-Chan."_

He is ignored.

 _"I don't want to take over Onodera Publishing."_

His words are brushed off.

 _"This is not love!"_

His own heart disregards the things he says. The traitor.

 _"I love you."_

 _..._

Well, he said his voice wasn't _always_ literally drowned out. He still hasn't forgiven the rain for that one.

But now, he needs to be heard.

 _"Takano!"_

The man in question stops, turning his head to peer over his shoulder at his terrified looking subordinate.

 _Just this once._

 _"Takano, I…"_

He raises an eyebrow in question, and Onodera almost loses his nerve. Almost cuts his own voice off before it can speak. But he doesn't, because he can't. He _can't_ let the words die _again._ So he clenches his fist, takes a deep breath, and _speaks._

 _Please_

 _"I love you! I have only ever loved you!"_

This is it. Ritsu breathes heavily and forces himself not to run away. If his voice is not heard, if his words are drowned out _again_ , he wonders if he'll ever find the will to speak again.

Hazel eyes widen, and Takano... doesn't say anything.

That damn silence is back, and Ritsu can honestly state that he has never hated it more than in this moment. He's just about ready to bolt and change his name and move far, far away. He can't use _Oda,_ Takano already knows that one. But it's fine, he'll figure something out.

But before he can make good on his escape plan, the most amazing thing happens.

Takano _smiles._

The sheer relief that Ritsu feels is staggering. Because _finally._

"Well, that confession certainly took long enough." Takano's tone is teasing, but his eyes are soft, and his smile is the brightest Ritsu has ever seen it.

The instant scowl on Ritsu's face is half-assed, at best. And his cheeks are glowing far too brightly to appear indifferent. "It's not my fault you didn't hear me the first time." He says petulantly, turning away so that Takano can't see his face.

He almost expects not to be heard. His heart twinges painfully.

But Takano's eyes widen, and he inhales sharply. Quick as lightning, he is at Ritsu's side, holding his hand tightly, as if to prevent him from running away. Ritsu almost wishes that he didn't know him _quite_ so well.

Predictably, He bombards Ritsu with nonstop questions as they walk towards their apartment.

 _'Separate apartments.'_ He has to sharply remind himself. But the word _Home_ has already planted itself in his head. It sounds disgustingly appropriate.

He looks at his and Takano's linked hands.

He doesn't honestly mind it.

* * *

Onodera Ritsu isn't sure about a lot of things.

He's not sure if he _really_ has a fiance, and he's not sure he can make it as a proper manga editor.

But as he walks home with Takano, the older man demanding more information about _"the first time"_ , he is sure of two things.

One is that he is, against _all_ of his better judgement, irrevocably in love with Masamune Takano.

And two, is that after years of being ignored and brushed off, his voice has finally, _finally_ been heard.

And it's one of the most wonderful feelings He's ever experienced.

* * *

 _I just... love these boys? Also unrelated I've reached Sekai-ichi Hatsukoi about three times within the last month._

 _Send help_


	2. Drunken confessions

**_Author's notes:_** _I have no excuse for this. I don't know what happened or where this came from but here have some boys being idiots._

* * *

Masamune Takano was amused.

Really, the first time it had happened he thought it was a fluke. After all, who in their right mind would have ever guessed that Ritsu Onodera, self declared workaholic, could possibly be such an unrefined drunk.

"Whaddare you smirking at, jerk!?" Ritsu slurred, glaring at his boss pathetically.

Masamune didn't trust himself not to laugh if he attempted to answer his drunken boyfriend, so he merely shook his head; hiding a smile behind his hand.

The young editors drunken behavior had been so unexpected that Masamune felt as if it was his civic duty to perform an experiment.

' _For science."_ He reasoned.

It had yielded quite entertaining results, and along the way, he had made one very important discovery.

"Are you laffin' at me?" Ritsu demanded, face flushed and expression pouting.

Ritsu Onodera was _very_ fond of drinking.

When Ritsu didn't receive a reply, he scowled, and shoved Masamune's shoulder with all of his intoxicated might. Needless to say, it was not very effective.

Masamune couldn't hold back a snort, which soon grew into full on laughter at the outraged expression on his boyfriend's face.

"I knew it!" Ritsu pointed at him accusingly. "Stop laffin' at me, you jerk!"

Choosing to ignore him, Masamune reached out to touch Ritsu's hair, ruffling it into an even more disheveled state than it normally was. He took great pleasure in the resulting shrieks of protest.

"You know, you're adorable when you're drunk." Masamune said fondly, ceasing his attack on Ritsu's hair

The young editor simply hissed. "You liar! You said that I was an obnoxious and whiny drunk. Make up your mind!" He fruitlessly tried to fix his wrecked hair.

"Wow." Masamune deadpanned. "I'm honestly impressed. You remember that little comment, but you forgot about in high school when we-"

"Shut up!" Ritsu shrieked, slapping his hand over the older man's mouth. His face suddenly flushed brighter after realizing that he had crawled into Masamune's lap in order to silence the man's impending, most likely vulgar comment.

Masamune wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, knowing that it would provoke an entertaining reaction. True to form, Ritsu let out a short squeak, and scrambled back to his original position sitting beside his boss.

"Besides," Ritsu began, crossing his arms over his chest and glaring at the floor. "I always remember everything you say, no matter what it is, asshole!" he raised his head to stare defiantly at Masamune.

The shock of Ritsu's honest words hit Masamune like a shot to the heart, and he grabbed the young editors hands in his own tightly.

"H-hey! What do you think you're doing?" Ritsu demanded, trying to pull away from his boss to no avail.

"What exactly did you just say?" he asked slowly, forcing his voice to sound calm. Ritsu stopped struggling as he furrowed his eyebrows in confusion.

"I called you an asshole?"

"No, before that."

"I said I always remembered whatever you say?"

"..."

Understanding slapped Ritsu in the face.

"That's not what I meant, so don't take it the wrong way!" He insisted, finally managing to free himself and trying to make a break for the door.

Having already foreseen this, Masamune blocked his path. "And just how the hell am I supposed to take that any other way, you idiot!"

"I don't care! Just don't think it means I have feelings for you or anything. I'm going home!" Ritsu declared, reaching for the doorknob.

"Ritsu. We have been dating for six months, and living together for three. Where _exactly_ do you think you're going?" Masamune asked, very close to losing his patience.

Ritsu blinked in confusion, which quickly turned to horror. "Say _**what**_!?" he shouted, and took a step back. Unfortunately, he stepped on a stray sheet of paper, and fell down hard.

Masamune sighed heavily. "Why are you like this."

Dazed from the pain, Ritsu let out a groan. Then he hiccupped.

Masamune slapped his palm to his forehead. "I forgot you were drunk. Are you okay?" he asked.

Ritsu just nodded.

Masamune released another long-suffering exhale. "Come on, dummy. It's time to get you to bed." he picked Ritsu up and threw him over his shoulder.

Ritsu let out a grumble of protest, but otherwise didn't complain. He only spoke again when he was placed on the bed and tucked in. "Don't even think about trying any funny business, jerk." He warned.

"Yeah yeah I know. Besides, there's no point if you don't remember it tomorrow, is there?" Masamune yawned.

"That's your only reason?" Ritsu wished he could say he was surprised.

"Yup. Goodnight Ritsu."

"Goodnight."

There was silence for a bit.

"Ritsu?"

"Yes?"

"I know I said I wouldn't try anything tonight, but in the morning, all bets are off."

* * *

 _I regret e̶v̶e̶r̶y̶t̶h̶i̶n̶g̶ nothing. Btw this *may* become a little drabble series. Maybe. I am bad at commitment so we'll see._


	3. The difference between Oda, and Onodera

_Please take this I wrote it in like an hour it's probably terrible_

* * *

Ritsu Oda.

Ritsu Onodera.

One in the same, and yet so achingly different.

Masamune Takano loved Ritsu Oda.

Ritsu Oda, the shy, clumsy kid who could barely order a damn sandwich without having a heart attack.

The kid who struggled to look him in the eyes, or open his mouth when Masamune kissed him, but in the same breath, could utter such genuine, heartfelt confessions.

But he also loved Ritsu Onodera.

The stubborn, prickly workaholic who refused to confess his feelings.

The man who was determined to a fault, and didn't seem to know the meaning of the word "limit". The man who pushed him away again and again, but always came back to him in the end.

Yeah, Oda and Onodera were pretty different.

"Takano, please stop slacking and give me your manuscript. You are the only one who hasn't submitted theirs yet." Ritsu huffed in annoyance.

Effectively distracted from his idle thoughts, Masamune Takano looked up to stare at his unamused subordinate.

While he could honestly say that he was very much in love with the man in front of him, there was no denying that he had been quite infatuated with the blushing, lovestruck idiot Ritsu had been in high school as well.

"Stop staring, you creep! And are you even listening to me?" he demanded, outraged.

"When did you get so bossy?" Masamune frowned.

Ritsu glared evenly. "When you made it part of my job to collect everyone's work." He replied flatly.

Masamune sighed. "You were so much nicer and cuter before." He said wistfully, smirking slightly as he heard Ritsu sputter.

"I'm sorry sir, but I'm not exactly sure what it is that you're referring to." He said stiffly, not meeting Masamune's gaze.

"I'm talking about high school of course, when we-"

"Takano!" Ritsu shouted, face beet red.

"What?" he asked faux innocently.

"I would appreciate it if you didn't talk about unnecessary things during work." Ritsu's voice was firm, but _just_ high pitched enough to give away his nervousness.

Masamune decided he'd let Ritsu off the hook. For now at least. "Fine fine." He sighed. "I'll have the manuscript by the end of the end of the day." He promised.

Ritsu blinked. "Good. Thank you." He said, confused by the man's uncharacteristic compliance.

Masamune grunted and waved him away.

Ritsu turned to make his way back to his chair, but halted when he heard a violent sneeze.

"Damn. How long does it take to get over a stupid cold?" Masamune absently sniffed.

Ritsu turned back around, eyebrows raised in suspicion. "Are you still sick?" he asked incredulously.

Masamune shrugged. "How the hell should I know?"

"You idiot!" Ritsu declared. "Go home. You'll just make yourself even worse."

Masamune raised an eyebrow. "What's this? Are you worried about me, Onodera?"

"Of course not!"

Masamune smirked at the all too quick denial

"It would just be a pain for me if you were go passing out here, and I ended up having to drag you home or something."

It was a logical explanation, and if Masamune hadn't known any better, he might have believed it. But the fact Ritsu wouldn't look him in the eyes told him all he needed to know.

"Just go home. Taking one day off won't kill you, you know?" Ritsu's face was a noticeable red. He clenched his fist. "And besides, didn't I already say to tell me when you're sick?"

Masamune's smirk softened into a fond smile at that, and he stood. He walked until he was in front of Ritsu, and ruffled the younger editors hair. "Alright, there's no need to worry so much. I promise I'll go straight home." He teased.

"I never said I was worried, you jerk!" Ritsu knocked Masamune's hand away, face red in anger and embarrassment.

Snickering openly now, Masamune made to exit the department. He stopped as Ritsu called after him.

"Hey, be careful. Don't pass out on the train. I'll pick up some soup and medicine on the way home." He spoke to the floor, and his face was practically in flames.

In that moment, he looked so much like _Oda_ again that it hurt.

The image struck Masamune with a powerful wave of nostalgia, and he couldn't help but return to Ritsu's side to pull him into a kiss.

"Takano you idiot; We're at work!"

Cheerfully ignoring any and all of Ritsu's protests, Masamune waved at him over his shoulder, and left the building.

He touched a hand to the corner of his mouth, and was unsurprised to find himself smiling.

' _Huh. Maybe he and Oda are more alike than I thought.'_

Yes, Ritsu Onodera had changed very much from the shy, stuttering mess he had been in high school, but Masamune was glad to note that there was still a bit of Oda left after all.

* * *

 _I have no self control whatsoever._


	4. A long overdue apology

_Okay so like, I was trying to keep all of these under 800 words or so right, right? But then this happened and I don't? Know what happened? This one is literally almost twice as long as the other ones. I kept trying to end it and it just, wouldn't let me? Please send help._

* * *

The question itself is heartbreakingly innocent, and so full of _hope_ that it hurts.

 _"Senpai, do you… feel anything for me?"_

As usual, Ritsu is looking down. But for once, his words aren't stuttered.

Masamune can't even take a moment to appreciate this fact though, because he's too distracted thinking about how best to _gently_ explain to Ritsu that he is a dumbass.

 _'Yes!' Masamune thinks desperately. 'God, how could you even ask me something like that, idiot? I'm pretty sure that I've never loved anyone more than you."_

He inhales slightly, preparing himself to say the words so desperate to escape.

They're meant to reassure.

But that's not what happens.

What happens instead is this: Masamune Takano opens his mouth to soothe Ritsu's heart.

He ends up breaking it instead.

* * *

Masamune shoots up in bed.

 _'What the hell was that?'_

He puts a hand over his chest. His heart is pounding heavily. He's never had that dream before.

 _'Was that why we broke up?'_

Up until that point, he honestly had not remembered the exact details of their breakup.

Except, of course, for being drop kicked in the face for no apparent reason. That, he remembered in _excruciating_ detail.

But, if his dream, no, _nightmare_ had any truth to it...

 _'Wow.'_

Masamune stares at the ceiling in contemplation.

 _'I am an asshole.'_

He looks to his right, where the very object of his thoughts is dozing obliviously.

 _'No wonder he drop-kicked me._ I _want to drop-kick me.'_

Ritsu's eyes are closed, and his breathing is deep and even. He's snoring just a little, and like everything else about him, Masamune finds it adorable.

He's also not wearing a shirt, much to Masamune's delight, as clothes had become… _ahem, bothersome,_ earlier.

Asleep and unguarded for once, Ritsu seems like an angel. He looks so at peace, and so uncharacteristically vulnerable.

 _'I almost ruined this.'_

Something in Masamune's heart fills until it hurts.

 _'I_ did _ruin it. I almost lost him forever.'_

As usual when it concerns Ritsu, Masamune is not in control of his actions as he pulls the sleeping man to his chest in a firm embrace.

 _'I hurt him. And cost us both ten years of unnecessary suffering.'_ the thought stings like acid.

A questioning groan pierces the air, signalling that Ritsu is awake.

Masamune freezes.

"Takano?"

Well _shit,_ he wasn't supposed to wake up.

"Takano, hey, is something wrong?"

The concern in Ritsu's voice makes him smile, and he relaxes slightly.

 _'To hell with it.'_ he thinks, tightening his grip around the younger man. _'This has been a long time coming anyways.'_

"Takano, you're kind of freaking me out here, you know?" Ritsu twists his neck around to look at Masamune's face.

Sensing an opportunity to tease, he smirks. "Sorry, you just looked so peaceful." he says, leaning in so that he can whisper in Ritsu's ear. "It really made me want to mess you up."

A _noise_ escapes Ritsu's throat, and his face explodes into flames, but otherwise there is no outward reaction.

 _'Damn, I must be losing my touch.'_

"Takano." Ritsu's voice is firm. "Please tell me that you did not wake me up at whatever the hell time it is because you want sex."

"..."

"Oh my god, I hate you."

Masamune chuckles and presses a kiss to Ritsu's head. "Relax, why don't you. I'm just kidding." he rests his chin on the shoulder of the grumbling man. "Besides, if that had been why I woke you up, we wouldn't be talking right now, would we?"

Ritsu sputters. "Shameless jerk!"

Masamune shrugs. What? It's true.

"Well, if there's not _any_ reason for you waking me up at this unholy hour," Ritsu glares pointedly, "I'm going back to bed."

Masamune sighs. Looks like it's time to be serious now.

"Actually, there was something.

Ritsu raises an eyebrow, and stares expectantly."

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm an asshole."

Ritsu blinks once.

Twice.

"Okay? I already knew that. Is there any particular reason you felt the need to point it out in the middle of the night?"

Ritsu's bluntness startles a laugh out of Masamune. "Alright, I walked into that one."

Ritsu sticks his tongue out at him.

God, he loves this man.

"It's just…" Masamune hesitates.

Observant as always, Ritsu frowns. Slowly, he reaches out to grab Masamune's hand.

"What? What is it?" the concern in Ritsu's voice goes straight to his heart.

It's official. Masamune does _not_ deserve him.

'It's nothing, really. I just had a weird dream, and it made me realize some things." He squeezes Ritsu's hand back tightly.

He doesn't deserve him, but like hell is he ever letting him go again.

"Like how I never really apologised, did I?" he runs his thumb across Ritsu's knuckles.

"Huh?" Ritsu furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

Masamune laughs wryly. A walking contradiction as always, Risu is just as oblivious as he is observant. "For back then. Ten years ago." He clarifies gently.

Ritsu's breath hitches.

"Back then, I broke your heart. And I never even said I was sorry."

"W-what are you talking about?" Ritsu's voice is high pitched and panicked. His eyes are wildy scanning the room, looking desperately at anything but Masamune. "Besides, that's ancient history. You don't need to-"

"Ritsu, I love you."

Ritsu's rambling finally dies out, and he, very attractively, gapes like a fish for a few moments.

"That's what I should have said when you asked if I loved you. It's what I was _going_ to say but," Masamune lifts the hand that not holding Ritsu's up to cover his face. "That _clearly_ did not happen."

"Taka-"

"So, while it may have taken me ten years, I just wanted to finally answer you properly." Masamune shifts until he is fully facing Ritsu. He takes both of his hands and interlaces their fingers.

The younger man's eyes are wide in amazement, and Masamune loves it, loves _him,_ painfully.

"Yes, Ritsu, I _do_ have feelings for you." he kisses the backs of both of Ritsu's hands.

The strangled hitch in his throat is music to Masamune's ears.

" _Very_ strong feelings."

A kiss on his forehead.

You drive me crazy, you know?"

He leans in, lips _just_ touching Ritsu's own.

"And I'm pretty sure that I've never loved anyone more than-"

"Okay, that's enough!"

Masamune notes with displeasure that Ritsu's face is now much too far away.

Ritsu's cheeks are burning fiercely, and his gaze is stubbornly locked on their joined hands.

Masamune watches with avid interest as he takes a deep breath, and squares his shoulders.

"Look, it's true, what happened back then really messed me up." he tears his gaze upwards to look into Masamune's eyes, and there's a challenge in his gaze. "But don't you dare try to put all of the blame on yourself!"

Masamune's eyebrows raise in shock.

"After all, It was partly my fault, and I know that I hurt you too. So can't we just, I don't know." he pauses, struggling to find the proper words.

Masamune absently wonders how the hell he managed to live without this man for ten years.

"How about, let's just, call it even?" Ritsu smiles.

It's weary, but also hopeful.

Masamune thinks it's beautiful.

A weight worth ten years of heartbreak is lifted from his shoulders.

Masamune exhales, long and deep. "How can you be so amazing? I really don't deserve you." he leans forward so that his forehead is resting in the crook of Ritsu's neck. "Thank you, Ritsu."

"S-shut up and stop saying embarrassing things!" Ritsu complains.

It would be more convincing if Masamune couldn't feel the heat of his blush.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop for now." he relents. "But it's your own fault. Can't you see what time it is? You should know better than to keep your boss up this late."

Ritsu gasps, outraged. "You're the one who woke me up!"

"Did I? That doesn't seem right."

Ritsu clenches his teeth, and sends a quick prayer for patience. "I am going to bed. If you wake me up again before eight tomorrow, I will not be held responsible for my actions." he promises vehemently.

Masamune snorts at the threat. "Right. Whatever you say."

Ritsu grumbles at the patronizing tone, and let's out a huge yawn.

Masamune feels a slight twinge of guilt. "Wow, it really is late. Come here." he opens his arms.

The lack of hesitation Ritsu displays in accepting his offer warms his heart greatly.

"Sorry for waking you up. I really didn't mean to."

Ritsu yawns again. "It's okay. I'm glad you told me. I've already said that it's a pain for me if you don't tell me what's bothering you." he says, his voice fading quickly.

Masamune smiles fondly.

"And thanks for apologising. You really didn't have to, but it means a lot to me that you did." Ritsu's face is suspiciously warm against Masamune's chest.

"Goodnight, Takano." Ritsu's voice is more of a sigh, and he is out like a light in seconds.

Masamune huffs out a laugh, and pulls Ritsu closer. He doesn't know _what_ he could have possibly done to earn Ritsu's forgiveness, but so far all evidence is pointing towards being a saint in a previous life.

 _'You are far,_ far _too good for me.'_

"Goodnight, Ritsu. I love you."

He doesn't receive a response, but he could swear that Ritsu smiles.

* * *

 _Masamune: so what you're saying is I broke your heart, you broke my face, and now we're even?_

 _Ritsu: yeah pretty much_

 _Masamune: god I love you_


	5. Thoughts and Insecuriites

_I have no idea what this is. Enjoy! And I apologize in advance._

* * *

Ritsu Onodera is confused.

Not that this is anything unusual. He's confused about a lot of things, if he's being honest. But he doesn't have the time to make a list right now.

Maybe later.

Right now, though, he knows _exactly_ what's causing his confusion, and he doesn't like it one bit.

His eyes narrow in the direction of one Masamune Takano.

This involves…

He shudders.

 _Feelings._

At the moment, Masamune isn't doing anything out of the ordinary. He's hard at work, doing his job as chief editor, just like always.

By which of course, Ritsu means that he is currently locked in a heated shouting match with Yokozawa.

Like he said, nothing out of the ordinary.

' _So why am I distracting myself with these ridiculous thoughts?'_

Masamune says something snarky, finally managing to make Yokozawa angry enough to leave, much to Ritsu's relief. The man may have somewhat accepted him, but that doesn't mean Ritsu feels any less weary of him. It's a work in progress.

Masamune sighs, and pinches the bridge of his nose.

Ritsu does _not_ find the action endearing.

At all.

(Okay, fine; maybe a little.)

' _This is all his fault.'_ The man is confusion in its true form.

As if hearing his thoughts, at that exact moment, Masamune straightens his neck, and frowns directly at Ritsu.

Ritsu cringes.

"Oi, Onodera!"

 _Crap!_

"Yes sir?"

"Stop ogling me on company time and get back to work. You can stare at me all you want later." Masamune smirks.

Ritsu wants to scream.

"Huh!? I was not-!"

His protests are drowned out by Kisa's wild laughter and Hatori's quieter chuckles. Mino just smiles.

That guy is weird.

' _Jackass!'_ Ritsu glares fiercely at his boyfriend. _'Well at least there's one thing I'm not confused about anymore: I hate him!'_

It sounds half-assed. Even to him.

* * *

 _'_ _Okay, that's it!'_

This is where Ritsu draws the line.

He and Masamune are finally home,, relaxing on the couch after a ridiculously long day. Masamune is giving one of his manuscripts a final once over, and Ritsu is _trying_ to read a book.

He's trying, but He. _Can't. Focus._

And when something is able to prevent _Ritsu Onodera_ from enjoying a good book, it's a sign that something is _very_ wrong in the universe.

He has to put a stop to this. His reading time is at stake!

He hides his face behind the book he was _not_ reading. "Hey, Ma-Masamune?" he tries to sound casual, but his hands are shaking like a leaf.

"Hmm?"

If he noticed Ritsu's rare use of his first name, he doesn't show it.

Ritsu is both grateful and slightly disappointed.

"Can I," he clears his throat. "Can I ask you a question?"

"That depends, I guess. Does it have anything to do with why you've been acting even weirder than normal all day?" Masamune doesn't miss a beat.

' _He noticed!'_

"Oh." Ritsu laughs nervously. "You noticed that, did you?" he pretends to turn a page in his book, and squeaks when we nearly rips it.

"Of course I did, Idiot." Masamune sighs, sounding almost bored.

Ritsu desperately wishes he knew what expression the man was making right now. But that would mean lowering his book shield, and he _really_ doesn't want to do that.

Masamune sighs again, this time sounding exasperated. "It pains me to say this, but you don't usually stare at me so much in public. _Especially_ at work."

There's the sound of a body shifting closer.

"And calling me _Masamune?_ Yeah, something's definitely not right."

'That's _what gave me away!'_ Ritsu glares at the words in his book.

"So come on, spit it out. Before I start to seriously think that somebody kidnapped my boyfriend and replaced him with a very realistic clone."

He sounds almost annoyed, but Ritsu can detect the genuine concern underneath his tone.

' _Is he… worried about me?'_ the thought warms Ritsu's cheeks.

"It's stupid." He warns.

Masamune huffs. "Nothing that bothers you will ever be stupid to me."

Ritsu blanches. _'How can he say things like that so casually!?'_

A hand appears, landing on top of his book and pulling it from his grip.

"Stop hiding."

Masamune's tone is firm, but the way he cups Ritsu's face, and slowly guides it so that they finally make eye contact, is achingly gentle.

"Talk to me, Ritsu."

Well, he's never been able to resist Takano before. It doesn't look like he's going to start now.

"It's just…" Ritsu hates how small his voice suddenly becomes. "We're… going out? Right?"

The words taste bitter, and they wash through him with a sickening wave of déjà vu.

They way Masamune's eyes widen tells him that the other man feels it too.

It's hard to push away the memories of poorly timed laughs and heartbreak.

"Ritsu.." His voice sounds pained.

"No, I wasn't going to ask if you... feel anything for me." Ritsu forces himself back to the present. "I- I know that you do." he winces at the stutter.

Masamune nods, but stays silent, quietly urging him to continue.

"I just, don't understand... _why_ , I guess."

Ritsu vaguely wishes he could hide behind his book again.

"Why, what?" Masamune encourages softly.

Ritsu flinches.

"I mean," he stares stubbornly at his feet. "Why _me?"_

Masamune furrows his eyebrows in confusion.

It feels like a dam bursts somewhere inside Ritsu's chest.

"You could have anyone you wanted. Why would you pick a jaded workaholic who can barely tell you he loves you?"

Masamune inhales sharply.

Now that Ritsu's started though, it's hard to stop the words forcing themselves out of his throat like vomit.

"You do so much for me, and I don't deserve any of it! I'm a mess!"

Ritsu's eyes burn.

"I'm stubborn, I always push you away, and I've got way too many trust issues. Not to mention the fact that my parents are trying to force me into an arranged marriage! How can you put up with me?!"

His chest is heaving.

"Hey, Ritsu!" Masamune's eyes are wide. "Please, I need you to take a deep breath-"

"And even back in high school!" Ritsu rambles on, despite Masamune's protests. "You could have gone out with anyone. And you picked the creepy first year stalker that could barely look at you? I don't get it."

Ritsu laughs.

It sounds choked and pitiful, even to his own ears.

Something warm and wet slides down his cheeks. He blinks a few times in confusion, and finds his vision to be strangely blurry as well.

Oh, he's crying.

"Ritsu…" Masamune looks horrified.

' _Now look what you've done.'_ Ritsu's lungs burn. _You just had to open your big mouth and say all those useless things, didn't you?'_

"I…" Ritsu reaches up to furiously wipe the tears away from his face. "I'm sorry. You didn't need to hear all of that."

' _He must hate me now. I can't blame him. I'm pathetic.'_

"Told you I was a mess. God, I'm annoying, aren't I?"

His eyes still sting, and his face is wet, but he forces a smile so fake his teeth hurt.

"I-" his voice breaks. "I understand if you don't want me any-"

"Don't you dare finish that sentence."

"W-what?"

The _anger_ in Masamune's voice is enough to shock the artificial smile away.

"Ritsu, you… how can you _say_ those things about yourself?"

"Because they're true?"

"No they're not!" Masamune growls. He looks hurt. As if Ritsu had just slapped him across the face.

Ritsu's eyes widen.

"Listen to me." Masamune grabs both of his shoulders. His grip is strong, but not painful.

" _I love you,_ Ritsu Onodera. _All_ of you."

Ritsu's cheeks burn, and a strangled sob escapes his throat.

"You asked, "why you"? Idiot." It's because for me, there has never been anyone _but_ you."

The raw _adoration_ in his gaze makes Ritsu want to cry again.

' _He's… telling the truth.'_ Ritsu thinks, awestruck.

Masamune pulls him in closer, and kisses Ritsu with a gentle fierceness.

Ritsu quickly melts into it, wrapping his arms around Masamune and kissing back desperately.

' _I hope you know that there's never been anyone but you for me, too._

When they seperate, Ritsu feels as if he can breathe properly again.

"So don't don't ever say things like that about yourself again." Masamune commands. "Nobody's allowed to insult the guy I love. Even if it's you."

Ritsu laughs weakly.

"Okay." he droops slightly, suddenly exhausted.

"Good. Now come here."

He squeaks when Masamune lays down on the couch, pulling Ritsu on top of him.

For once though, Instead of protesting, Ritsu just relaxes and rests his head on Masamune's chest.

Masamune happily brings his hand up to comb through his boyfriend's soft hair with his fingers.

Ritsu sighs in contentment. _'This is nice. I should have emotional breakdowns more often if we can do this afterwards.'_ he absently muses.

After a while, Masamune breaks the silence. "I loved you in high school, you know? When my life was falling apart, there was nothing good left in it except for you."

Masamune brings a hand up to cup Ritsu's face.

"And I love you now. So much more than I ever thought I would."

Ritsu's breath hitches.

"I love _everything_ about you. Your stubbornness, your shyness, and your insecurities. Sorry, but you're stuck with me."

Fresh tears roll down Ritsu's cheeks, but this time they're from happiness.

' _I love this man.'_

"Even though I'm a ridiculous mess? Ritsu coughs a laugh, wiping his eyes.

"Yeah." Masamune smiles as he gently helps wipe the tears away. "You're a mess. But you're _my_ mess."

Ritsu scoffs.

Masamune kisses the top of his head.

"I love you. And I know that you know that already, but I'm going to start saying it a lot now. So deal with it." Masamune smiles cockily.

Another sob, but this one sounds just a bit more like a laugh.

"Takano, you jerk. How can you even make a confession sound like an insult." Ritsu complains, but his smile is genuine now.

"It's part of my charm."

Ritsu snorts.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I can't believe I put up with you."

Laughing, Masamune resumes his earlier action of combing his boyfriend's hair with his fingers. "I can't either. I'm the worst." He smiles.

"I love you, Ritsu. And don't forget it."

"I won't. And, I love you too… Masamune."

* * *

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	6. In which Takano is a jealous idiot

_Don't judge me I needed more jealous Takano in my life. Tbh I'm not sure how I feel about this one. I'm more of the type to get sad and insecure when I'm jealous, so I hope I was able to do this justice._

* * *

Masamune Takano is about three seconds away from breaking something.

Preferably this guy's nose.

"So, _you're_ Onodera? I've got to say, you're cuter than I thought you'd be." the man's tone is smug, and he is standing _way_ too close to Ritsu.

Masamune frowns.

He would like to state that, for the record, he does not usually make a habit of punching strangers.

"Um, I'm sorry, but have we met before?" Ritsu questions, eyes drawn in confusion.

Masamune's eye twitches as the man steps even _more_ into his boyfriend's personal space.

He doesn't _usually_ punch strangers, but that's about to change _very_ soon if this idiot doesn't get away from the love of his life _right now_.

' _Dammit. I was actually in a good mood today for once.'_

"Oh, no. I just saw the book that you were reading earlier. I'm a big fan of the author." the man's words are innocent enough, but there's a predatory glint in his eyes.

' _Liar.'_ Masamune glares.

He hopes that Ritsu will be able to sense the man's untrustworthiness as well.

Ritsu's eyes widen. "Oh, really?" he asks excitedly.

No such luck.

Masamune mentally groans. ' _I'm dating an idiot.'_

"Yeah." the man's sharp smile widens. "I was actually hoping you would grab a drink with me and we could talk about it."

Ritsu, bless his soul, smiles brightly.

' _You have_ got _to be kidding me.'_

He loves Ritsu.

Really, he does.

But his boyfriend is denser than a sack of rocks.

"Thanks, but I'm afraid he's going to have to pass." Masamune says coldly.

The man _finally_ tears his gaze away from Ritsu long enough to acknowledge Masamune's presence.

"Yeah, I wasn't really asking _you._ " The plastic smile on his face has been replaced with a scowl.

Masamune scowls right back.

"Takano!" Ritsu protests. "Don't make decisions for me."

The man's slimy smile is back.

"Yeah, what Onodera said."

He actually has the _audacity_ to touch Ritsu, wrapping an arm around the young editor and pulling him closer in a manner that is _far_ too friendly.

 _Strike one._

Ritsu gasps, scrunching his eyebrows in bewilderment.

Masamune sees red.

' _Let go of him.'_

"You may be his boss, but you don't mind if I borrow him for some… _fun_ right?"

The _suggestiveness_ dripping from the man's tone sets something hot churning in Masamune's stomach.

 _Strike two._

' _This guy clearly has a death wish.'_

As if finally noticing the precarious position he's in, apprehension dawns in Ritsu's eyes, and he looks at Masamune pleadingly.

' _Ah. Look who finally decided to join the party.'_

Masamune mentally berates his boyfriend, but his fist is already clenched.

Because Ritsu _never_ asks for help. And like hell is Masamune going to let _this_ jackass be the one to make him start.

 _He's going down._

"You're making him uncomfortable. I suggest you let him go."

Ritsu shivers at the venom in his voice.

But the asshole who's about to have a broken face just scoffs.

"You really can't take a hint, can you. Get lost."

Well, Masamune _tried_ to warn him.

 _Strike three. You're out._

The sound of the creep's head painfully meeting the wall is _divine._

The man's face twists unattractively in surprise as Masamune drives his fist into his cheek, and he lets out a high pitched yelp of pain.

It's _almost_ as satisfying as the beautiful smile of relief and gratitude he receives from Ritsu.

Masamune shakes out his hand. It's already sore, and he knows its gonna hurt like _hell_ later.

"Takano! C'mon, you didn't have to hit him _that_ hard, you idiot." Ritsu scolds, but his eyes are concerned as he takes Masamune's reddened hand in his own and assesses the damage.

' _Definitely worth it.'_

Masamune allows himself a moment to enjoy Ritsu's fussing.

"What the hell?" the man is protectively holding his hand over his aching cheek, and there's now a glint of fear in his eyes.

Masamune allows himself a moment to enjoy that as well.

"It seems like you're the one that can't take a hint." he grins ferally. "So allow me to spell it out for you."

' _He's mine.'_

Ritsu's gasp as Masamune curls an arm around around his waist and pulls him closer only fuels the fire of his possessiveness.

"What are you- _mph!"_

Masamune presses his lips to Ritsu's harshly.

Predictably, Ritsu's eyes widen, and he braces his hands against Masamune's chest, attempting to push him away.

' _Don't even think about it.'_

Masamune deepens the kiss, brings his uninjured hand up to the back of Ritsu's head, tangles his fingers in his soft hair, and _tugs._

It's like magic, and Masamune greedily swallows the ridiculously _sinful_ choked moan of surprise that's pulled from the back of Ritsu's throat.

 _God, Ritsu is going to be the death of him._

Finally giving in, Ritsu's eyes drift closed, and he stops fighting him after that.

' _Take that, asshole.'_ he thinks absently.

Reluctantly, and only when his lungs are beginning to burn, Masamune breaks the kiss.

Ritsu gasps for breath, and slowly opens his eyes; desperately trying to regain control of his breathing.

Masamune notes with pleasure that he looks positively _disheveled,_ with glowing cheeks, bruised lips, and hair a mess.

It takes all of his willpower not to pull Ritsu into another kiss, to mess him up even _more,_ but he manages.

' _Later.'_

It's a promise.

"What the hell?" a voice whispers in bewilderment.

Masamune groans, frowning in distaste. He'd nearly forgotten that they had an audience.

' _Ugh. Can't this guy just go crawl in a hole?'_

He huffs in annoyance.

"In case that still wasn't enough for you, I'll tell you point blank: We're dating. Now fuck off."

The other man flinches at the iciness in his tone, and takes off running.

' _Finally.'_ Masamune smirks as the man disappears from sight.

A light tug on his sleeve draws Masamune's attention back to his boyfriend.

"Um…"

Ritsu's voice is hoarse, and his eyes are still dazed.

The combination is not good for Masamune's heart.

"Thank- thank you. For doing that. I didn't think he would…" Ritsu trails off, staring at his feet.

Yet another blow to his heart.

' _Dammit. How is it possible for a grown man to be so cute?'_

The world may never know.

Masamune smirks, and places his hand on the small of Ritsu's back.

"Of course. Anything for you, Ritsu. C'mon, let's go home.

"Okay." Ritsu says. His expression is starstruck.

' _He's too cute for his own good.'_

Speaking of which…

"And when we get home, you and I are going to have a little _discussion_ about trusting people too easily."

Masamune smiles just a _bit_ sadistically.

Ritsu pales.

"Right…"

He has a _bad_ feeling about this.

* * *

 _D̶o̶n̶'̶t̶ ̶l̶o̶o̶k̶ ̶a̶t̶ ̶m̶e̶ ̶y̶o̶u̶ ̶a̶l̶l̶ ̶k̶n̶o̶w̶ ̶w̶h̶a̶t̶ ̶h̶a̶p̶p̶e̶n̶s̶ ̶w̶h̶e̶n̶ ̶t̶h̶e̶y̶ ̶g̶e̶t̶ ̶h̶o̶m̶e̶.̶_


	7. An invitation

_Me, relating to a character and projecting MY issues onto them?_

 _It's more likely than you think._

 _Fun fact, I named Takano's father Hebi, because Google told me it means Snake. :)_

 _P.s: Happy Easter!_

* * *

You see them all the time. In movies and on TV; they're nearly impossible to escape.

Families, that is.

 _Perfect_ families. With a successful and handsome father, a beautiful stay at home mother, and probably a golden retriever somewhere in there.

' _Hah. What a load of crap.'_

Masamune squints suspiciously at the envelope he's currently holding, making sure he hasn't misread it or something.

' _Maybe it's time for new glasses.'_

But despite his unreliable vision, the name printed crisply on the front does not magically change.

 _Kotoko Saga._

His mother.

Masamune is.. not really on speaking terms with his parents, to put it lightly.

He supposes that he should feel some remorse about that.

He doesn't.

Yeah, sure, their divorce _kind of_ sent him into a self-destructive spiral at some point or another, but he got over it.

Mostly.

Anyways, the point is that he and his parents don't talk much.

' _So why the hell did my mother send me a letter?'_ Masamune wonders in bafflement.

For a brief, but _oh so tempting_ moment, he imagines tearing the note to shreds.

Yeah, he's petty. So what? He's earned it.

' _Almost ten years without a word, and she can't even be bothered to call.'_ the thought shouldn't depress him.

And it doesn't.

It _annoys_ him.

' _I'm going to rip it up, throw it in the trash where it belongs, and go about my day.'_ Masamune decides, fingers tensed precariously around the envelope.

Trying to contact him out of the blue with a _note?_

He tears the envelope.

What a joke.

 _So why is he opening it?_

Against his will, Masamune opens the letter carefully, and pulls out the piece of paper neatly tucked inside.

The strict, typed font inscribed onto the paper is the first thing he notices.

' _Wow. Not even handwritten.'_ Masamune rolls his eyes. _'Of course not. That would require actual_ effort _on their part.'_

However it's the second thing that he notices that makes him stop cold.

"What?"

Masamune stares at the deceptively innocent sheet of paper in his hands uncomprehendingly.

Just as he suspected, he definitely needs new glasses.

' _This has got to be some kind of sick joke.'_

But no matter how many times he rereads the letter, he can't find the punchline.

"What the _hell?"_

It has to be fake. There's no other explanation.

' _It's real.'_ a nasty little voice inside his head whispers.

The invitation falls out of his hand, floating almost inappropriately gently to the ground.

Masamune's hands are eerily steady as he draws out his cellphone.

* * *

" _You are formally invited to attend the memorial service of Hebi Takano. He passed away-"_

* * *

Ritsu is just leaving work when his cell phone rings.

It had been a pretty productive day, if he does say so himself, so his mood is light as he takes his phone out of his pocket.

It's Takano. Which is… not surprising.

Seriously, does he even use his phone for anything other that calling or texting that guy?

' _No, not really.'_ his mind oh-so helpfully replies.

Ritsu sighs. Oh well, he can worry about his lack of a social life later.

"Hi! I'm on my way home now. Did you want me to stop and pick up something for dinner?" Ritsu asks, pointedly ignoring the fact that he sounds like some kind of housewife.

There is no response.

"Hello?" Ritsu frowns. "Takano? Are you there?"

Still nothing.

' _Weird. Maybe he called me by accident.'_

He shrugs. He's just about to hang up and head for the train station when Masamune finally speaks.

"Ritsu? Sorry, I'm here."

Ritsu freezes.

Bright red flags of alarm wave violently in his mind.

Because Masamune has always had this _way_ of speaking; of projecting confidence and self assurance into his voice at all times.

It's something that Ritsu has always admired, and envied, about him.

But right now, Masamune sounds… _lost._ Or confused.

' _Something's wrong.'_

"Hey, is everything okay?" Ritsu doesn't bother trying to keep the concern out of his voice.

Masamune doesn't try brush off Ritsu's worry, which is the final warning bell.

"I- I don't know."

The confession hurts something in Ritsu's chest.

"Tell me what happened." Ritsu tries to make his voice soothing.

' _Forget the train, it'll take too long. I need to get to him_ now.' he starts trying to hail a taxi.

"I got a letter today." Masamune shares cryptically.

"A letter?" Ritsu repeats in confusion, thrown off by the seemingly random announcement.

He manages to halt a cab; but in his haste to get in, he accidentally slams the door. Loudly.

' _Oops.'_

The driver of the cab sends him a dirty look through the rear view mirror.

"Did you just get in a taxi?" Masamune asks curiously. "That's not necessary. Don't waste your money."

"I didn't." Ritsu denies hastily, covering the speaker of his phone briefly to mutter an apology and the address of their apartment building to the driver.

"Still such a bad liar." Masamune's tone is quiet; wistful. It's clear that he didn't mean to be heard.

Ritsu doesn't comment. After all, he can't argue with him.

"So," he begins, none-too subtly steering the conversation back to the topic at hand. "What about this letter?"

"It was from my mother." Masamune informs him grimly.

Ritsu gasps, all too aware of the weight behind that statement.

For most people, getting a letter from their mother would be nothing unusual.

For Masamune, who is on less than familiar terms with his parents, it has the same effect as a bombshell being dropped.

"But you haven't spoken in-"

"I know. Trust me, I was more surprised than you are." Masamune laughs, but its dry and humorless.

The bitter sound pierces Ritsu's heart.

' _Can't this thing go any faster?'_

"I was going to throw it away." Masamune says matter-of-factly. "But I…" he trails off, inhaling deeply and slowly exhaling.

Ritsu desperately wishes he could spontaneously develop the power to teleport.

"But, I'm guessing you didn't." he says softly, encouraging him to continue.

"No, I didn't." Masamune agrees. "But I kind of wish I had."

Ritsu's heart squeezes painfully.

"So can I ask what it said?" he asks tentatively.

There's a pause.

"Sorry, you don't have to tell me if you don't want to." he promises immediately.

Ritsu's grip tightens around the back of his phone.

Thank god, he can see their apartment now.

"It was an invitation." Masamune finally breaks the silence.

Ritsu notes with worry that all of the emotion is gone from his voice.

"To my father's funeral."

Ritsu gasps.

' _Oh my god.'_

"Yeah, that was pretty much my reaction too." Masamune's voice is still toneless.

The taxi _finally_ slows to a stop outside of their building, and Ritsu practically _jumps_ out of the car, hurriedly paying the driver and running inside.

"Hold on, I just got here. I'll be at our door in a second." he promises, racing for the elevators.

"Wow. You got here _that_ fast on the subway?" There's a hint of teasing in Masamune's tone.

"I took a taxi." Ritsu is too relieved at the return of emotion to Masamune's voice to be irritated.

He nearly trips over his own feet as he sharply rounds the corner, and comes to a dead stop in front of the elevators.

' _Are you_ kidding _me right now!?'_

There's a bright sign taped to the elevator doors. Ritsu _swears_ it's mocking him.

It's becoming painfully clear that the universe has decided to be an asshole today.

 _Elevators are closed for maintenance. We apologise for the inconvenience._

" _Shit_."

"What's wrong?" Masamune asks.

' _Nothing's wrong. Except that we live on the fifteenth floor!'_

Ritsu shakes his head furiously, before he remembers that Masamune can't actually see him right now.

"Nothing." he promises.

Looks like there's only one option left.

He eyes the entrance to the stairs with determination.

"Keep talking. I'm almost there."

* * *

Ritsu would like to declare that fifteen flights of stairs is just… _too many._

' _Oh my_ god _that was a terrible idea I'm never doing that again!'_

Ritsu sincerely wonders how he's still alive at this moment. His legs and his lungs are _burning._

' _How do people exercise for fun?!'_ the very thought exhausts him even more. He hunches over, places his hands on his knees, and desperately tries to just _breathe._

The sound of approaching footsteps causes Ritsu to look up instinctively.

' _That sounds like…'_

"Did you just _run_ up fifteen flights of stairs?" Masamune's arms are crossed. He sounds almost impressed.

"No!" Ritsu wheezes, and instantly regrets wasting precious oxygen he really needs right now.

Masamune laughs.

The sound is unexpected, and doesn't last long, but it makes Ritsu feel lighter. Suddenly he can breathe a little easier.

Well, not literally. He is _so_ out of shape.

' _Maybe the stairs weren't so bad.'_ Ritsu admits. They did help him get to Masamune's side faster, so he's grateful for that at least.

But he's still never doing it again.

"Are you ok-" Ritsu tries to ask, but stops, because _wow,_ breathing is _really_ hard right now _._

"Hey, relax." Masamune rests his hand on Ritsu's back. "I'm fine." he says easily.

 _Too_ easily.

"Liar." Ritsu coughs out, but he notices it's slowly getting easier to breathe. "Nobody would be fine after something like that."

Masamune sighs.

Ritsu stares at him expectantly.

"Alright, that's fair. Maybe _fine_ isn't the right word." Masamune smiles dryly, and shrugs. "Let's go with… still processing? It just doesn't really feel real to me yet."

Ritsu's heart twinges.

' _I can't even imagine how shocked he must have felt. I mean, finding out a family member died so unexpectedly? It's cruel.'_

For a brief, and _terrible_ moment, Ritsu pictures himself finding an invitation to Masamune's funeral inside his mailbox.

The abruptness.

The confusion.

It's enough to make him feel sick, and he banishes the horrifying thought away roughly.

"That's understandable. It'd be more worrying if you weren't shocked."Ritsu says gently, as he straightens up and takes Masamune's hand in his own.

"I suppose you're right." Masamune squeezes his hand gratefully. "C'mon, let's go inside. I don't think this kind of conversation is meant to be had in a hallway."

"Sure." Ritsu nods, and together, they make their way back into their apartment.

The second that the door closes, Masamune seizes Ritsu and pulls him into a desperate hug.

"Hey!" Ritsu protests purely out of surprise.

This is actually nothing out of the ordinary, as Masamune does something like this whenever he and Ritsu enter their apartment together.

Ritsu will _never_ admit this to anyone, but he's reluctantly come to expect what he affectionately refers to as a 'Masamune attack' pretty much daily.

He was only caught off guard this time because _really,_ Masamune? Is now _really_ the time?

"Sorry." Masamune whispers, burying his face in the crook of Ritsu's neck. "I was about to explode."

' _Oh.'_

"It's okay." Ritsu reassures him.

' _Looks like it's starting to sink in.'_

He wraps his arms around tightly around Masamune's waist, hoping to provide even the smallest bit of comfort.

' _At least this is something I can do for him.'_

Ritsu doesn't know exactly how long they stay like that.

He doesn't really care either.

If _anyone_ dares to interrupt them, or causes Masamune to retreat back into his own head, Ritsu vows to hunt them down.

"Ten years." Masamune speaks, and squeezes Ritsu tighter.

It's honestly getting a little painful, but Ritsu's not about to complain.

"I haven't spoken to either of them for almost _ten years,_ and today I found out my father was dead from a _letter.'_

The hurt and betrayal in his voice stabs Ritsu's heart. He reaches up to gently run his fingers through Masamune's dark hair.

He's never met Masamune's parents before, and now he'll definitely never meet his father. But he wishes he could have.

It's really not fair.

He would have at least liked the opportunity to kindly inform the both of them about how their son deserved so much _better_ than them.

' _Oh, Masamune…'_

"Uh oh. You're calling me Masamune again?"

Ritsu realizes that he had spoken aloud.

"That means you're worried about me." Masamune smiles. It's small and weary, sure; but it's genuine.

Ritsu smiles back, and shakes his head. "No, that's not it. I mean, of course I'm worried, but mostly I'm mad for you."

"Mad forme?" Masamune repeats, an eyebrow quirked in vague amusement.

"Yes." Ritsu's smile melts away, and he digs his fingers into Masamune's back.

Masamune hums, encouraging him to continue.

Ritsu gladly obliges, but only after making _damn_ sure that he and Masamune are making eye contact.

This is something that he _needs_ Masamune to understand.

"You deserved better than a half assed invitation in the mail, Masamune." he says firmly, raising up to the tips of his toes to place a kiss on Masamune's forehead.

' _The fact that I even have to tell you that makes me sick.'_

"And you deserved better parents. I haven't met your mother yet, but I don't like her." he says hotly.

Ritsu's declaration surprises a brief laugh out of Masamune.

"I'm serious!" Ritsu claims, but he can feel the corners of his mouth turning up traitorously. "I will never be able to respect someone who couldn't even be bothered to call her son about something so important."

Masamune is openly laughing now, and the mood of despair that had been present is effectively banished.

Ritsu is not sad to see it go.

"You're laughing." he points out unnecessarily. His chest warms with relief.

"Of course I am." Masamune places his head in the crook of Ritsu's neck again. "How could I not? You just made me really happy."

Ritsu yelps when Masamune kisses his shoulder.

"Thank you."

Ritsu's cheeks burn at the reverent tone of Masamune's voice.

"I… still don't know how to feel about all of this, but as long as you're with me, I think I'll be okay."

Masamune smiles.

"You _will_ be okay." Ritsu smiles back. "Maybe not right now, but we'll get there." he promises.

Masamune kisses Ritsu's cheek, and finally releases him, but only to take both of his hands in his own.

"I almost forgot, there's something I need to ask you."

Ritsu tilts his head curiously.

"Will you be my date to my father's funeral?" Masamune asks seriously, but his eyes are amused.

Ritsu laughs. "Well when you ask like that, how could I say no?" he steps forward to place a chaste kiss on Masamune's lips.

Yeah, Masamune isn't fine right now, and they still need to talk about this more.

And that's okay, Ritsu thinks.

Because Masamune is _strong._ Stronger and so much _better_ than his parents.

And Ritsu's not going to stop until he makes _sure_ that Masamune knows it.

* * *

 _Confession time: something pretty similar to this actually happened to me irl, but instead of a letter, I found out from a Facebook post :)_


	8. Unexpected visitors

_I love Ritsu, I swear. But he reminds me too much of me so he has to Suffer™_

 _P.s. I named Ritsu's mother Aia, which can mean "Ruler of the house", and I picked Takao for his father, which means "Nobleman"._

 _Btw, I got the names from Google so if they're wrong pls don't me_

* * *

Ritsu has always had a rather… complicated relationship with his family, to say the least.

Don't get him wrong, he loves them.

But they drive him _insane._

It's always _An-chan_ this, or _Take over Onodera Publishing_ that. It all piles up and up and up until he can't _breathe_ because he's too busy being crushed by the weight of his parents expectations.

But he loves them.

Truly, he does.

Which is why he'd really like to know _why the hell they're outside of his apartment right now!_

This is not going to end well.

"Mom, Dad?" Ritsu calls out hesitantly, almost afraid of drawing their attention.

' _Maybe it's not them. Maybe it's just some people who happen to_ look _exactly like my parents.'_

"Ritsu, there you are!" his small hope is crushed when the all too familiar voice of Aia Onodera rings commandingly through the air.

Ritsu cringes.

' _Yeah, I knew that would be too good to be true.'_

"Um, what are you guys doing here?" he asks, baffled.

His mother tsks. "How rude." She reprimands him.

' _Sure._ They _showed up without any warning whatsoever, but_ I'm _the rude one. That makes sense.'_

Ritsu smiles apologetically. "I didn't mean it like that. I just didn't expect to see you guys here." he reluctantly approaches his parents, all the while fighting his natural impulse to flee.

Aia's sour look softens. It seems she's decided to forgive him.

How kind of her.

He somehow manages not to jolt away as his mother brushes an airy kiss against his cheek.

"Your father and I recently realized that we have hardly seen you lately, so we thought we'd drop by and pay you a surprise visit." she beams, as if she has just bestowed some generous gift upon him.

Ritsu forces a smile back. "Well, I'm very surprised. You shouldn't have."

' _Really. You shouldn't have.'_

"Oh nonsense." his mother, as usual, waves him off. "We tried to get An-chan to join us, but the poor girl isn't feeling well lately."

' _Neither am I, all of a sudden.'_

Ritsu also does not believe An-chan for one second. He'd spoken to her just the day before, and she had sounded fine.

' _She must have lied to them to spare me a little grief.'_ Ritsu concludes.

Honestly, god _bless_ An-chan. Even if Ritsu was not currently in a relationship _with a man,_ that girl would still be far too good for him.

"Her _fiance_ should go visit her." Aia sniffs pointedly, never missing an opportunity to meddle.

Ritsu mentally sighs, and bites back his instinctive denial of being anyone's fiance. It will do him no good here; his mother is far too stubborn. And that's coming from _him._

Aia smiles smugly, apparently taking the lack of Ritsu's usual protests as a victory.

Ritsu resists the urge to pinch the bridge of his nose. He can already tell that he is going to have a _hell_ of a headache soon enough.

"Well, son? Aren't you going to invite us in?" Takao Onodera speaks up, patting Ritsu roughly on the shoulder.

Well _that_ certainly wasn't part of the plan.

' _Why aren't they leaving!?'_ Breathing is supposed to be easier than this, right?

They want to come into his apartment.

His _shared_ apartment.

The apartment he shares with his _boyfriend._

' _No.'_

"Oh, of course! Where are my manners? Please come in."

Ritsu seals his own fate, and involuntarily leads his parents to his and Masamune's door. He takes longer than strictly necessary in searching for his keys.

' _Thank God Takano's working late today.'_

Aia frowns. "How strange. I could have sworn that you lived next door."

Ritsu drops the keys.

"Huh. Now that you mention it, I thought so too." Takao agrees.

' _Shit, shit, shit, shit, shit!'_

 _He is completely and utterly_ screwed.

Ritsu doesn't realize he's stopped breathing until his lungs are burning. He forces himself to take a breath.

"N-no, I live here." by some miracle, his voice sounds normal. He does his best to stop his hands from shaking as he picks up his keys unlocks the door.

Predictably, his mother breezes past him, and surveys the living room with a critical eye.

Ritsu does the same, and notes with horror that one of Masamune's jackets, which are easily two sizes too big to be worn by himself, is hanging on the coat rack.

' _Please don't notice, please don't notice,_ please _don't notice.'_ he silently begs.

"Hey, nice place you've got here." his father sounds more patronizing than sincere. "A little small for my tastes though." Takao laughs, as if this is all terribly amusing to him.

"How…" Aia pauses, and scrunches her nose. "Cute."

Ritsu has never heard something so obviously _not_ a compliment in his life. But he's too relieved to be appropriately offended.

' _They haven't noticed anything out of the ordinary yet.'_ the thought is both comforting and slightly disappointing.

But of course, his mother has only just begun in her interfering.

"But I still don't understand, Ritsu." Aia continues.

Ritsu mentally groans. _'And, here we go.'_

"This place is… nice." Aia's features are still contorted with distaste. "But wouldn't you rather live more comfortably? You know, you could always move back home. Your room is still waiting for you." she says enticingly.

Ritsu nearly gags.

The very _thought_ of returning to that place and becoming their puppet once again makes him want to tear off his own skin.

' _No way in hell.'_

"Oh come now dear." Takao spares him from having to answer.

Ritsu feels a slight bit of hope, but it's quickly dashed.

"It may not be how we would live, but he's still young. Let him have his fun. He'll come to his senses soon enough." he winks at Ritsu conspiratorially.

 _Come to his senses._ As if Ritsu is a rebellious child, who is simply pretending to be an adult.

It hurts, but it's always been this way.

He's used to it.

Ritsu takes a deep breath, and silently counts to ten. _'Patience.'_ he reminds himself.

"I'll make some tea." he says robotically.

' _Just one cup. And then they'll leave. Right?'_

For some reasons he doubts it.

Ritsu distracts himself from the impending sense of doom growing painfully in his stomach by switching on the stove and gathering everything he needs for the tea.

" _It's still pretty early.'_ he thinks, after sneaking a glance at the clock on the wall. _'Takano still shouldn't be home for a little while.'_

Which is _fine._ Because he absolutely _does not_ need or _want_ Masamune to come rescue him like some kind of damsel in distress.

 _At all._

So inevitably, at that exact moment, two things happen:

One: Ritsu, in all his absent minded glory, accidentally brushes his hand against the _hot_ tea kettle on the stove. He yelps and pulls it away, but the damage is already done.

And two: The sound of the front door being unlocked can be heard, and one Masamune Takano walks through the doorway.

Ritsu's heart _stops_ , and plummets downward; landing somewhere below his feet.

He's home early.

Because _of course_ he is.

' _Well, fuck.'_

"Hey, I'm home." Masamune announces, walking into the living room. "Yokozawa pissed me off, so we're going out to eat tonight." He says, and then freezes when he notices two strangers staring at him in bafflement.

Shit. This is happening.

"W-welcome back." Ritsu says weakly, running his reddened hand under some cold water. "You're home early."

"Ritsu, who is this man?" Aia demands, staring at Masamune suspiciously.

Ritsu briefly wonders if he could possibly come up with a lie elaborate enough to get himself out of this.

' _What do I do, what do I do, what do I do?'_

But he knows the game is up when his mother's eyes drift over to Masamune's jacket hanging oh-so-innocently on the coat rack, and widen in understanding.

' _She knows.'_

An unexpected wave of calm washes over Ritsu. His hand still burns, but he'll worry about that later.

Masamune is standing still, looking back and forth between Ritsu and his parents. He locks eyes with Ritsu, and wordlessly asks him what to do.

Ritsu smiles.

It's reassuring, knowing that someone has his back. Even if his parents don't.

' _Fuck it.'_

This has gone on long enough.

Ritsu walks out of the kitchen, and makes his way to stand beside Masamune. He takes a deep breath, and meets his mother's glare head on.

It's time for both of them to understand that he is no longer a child, and they can't _control_ him anymore.

"Mom, dad, this is Masamune Takano." Ritsu takes Masamune's hand and interlaces their fingers firmly.

Masamune's eyes widen, but Ritsu simply tightens his grip.

He won't back down. Not anymore. Not from this.

"He is my boss, and we are currently in a relationship."

The following silence is so _loud_ it makes Ritsu's ears ring.

' _My stomach hurts.'_

"Excuse me?" Takao finally speaks. His tone is icy, and it nearly freezes Ritsu's resolve.

"Exactly how long has this been going on?" Aia demands, outraged.

It was always clear that his parents would most likely not be supportive, but this open _hostility_ is shocking _._

Ritsu's hand clenches reflexively. "I've been in love with him since high school.' he admits shakily.

' _There's definitely no going back now.'_

But Masamune squeezes back comfortingly, and he knows he made the right choice.

For just a moment, it feels like everything will be okay.

But then that moment ends.

"No." Aia shakes her head. "This is unacceptable."

Ritsu swears he can hear something crack in his chest.

"That's enough of this foolishness. I've allowed you to 'have have your fun', as your father said, but this has gone too far." she gestures towards their joined hands in disgust.

Now, Ritsu hears something shatter.

"Pack your things. You're moving back home immediately." his mother commands.

Panic makes Ritsu's blood run cold. He _can't_ go back to that place. And he _won't_ leave Masamune. Not ever again.

"What? No." Ritsu chokes out. His chest hurts, and breathing is more difficult than it should be.

"Don't argue with your mother." Takao sneers. "This behavior will not be tolerated any longer. Do not forget that you are an Onodera. You have responsibilities."

And that's just it then, isn't it.

His parents have never cared about _Ritsu._ They've never seen him as anything more than _the Onodera heir._

It's always been this way.

He's used to it.

But it _hurts._

' _I don't want to be an Onodera anymore."_ the thought is intrusive, but no less honest.

Ritsu realizes a split second too late that he's spoken aloud.

The sharp sound of a hand connecting mercilessly with flesh echoes throughout the room.

Ritsu unwillingly lets go of Masamune's hand, and stumbles back a few steps. He brings a hand up to his stinging cheek, and winces.

It comes away bloody.

His mother must have caught him with her ring.

His ears are ringing.

There have been some close calls in the past, but neither of his parents have ever actually _hit_ him before.

"Hey! Don't touch him!" Masamune shouts angrily, but Ritsu can't bring himself to focus.

"Stay out of this." Takao says warningly.

"Like hell." Masamune growls. "Get out."

Aia bristles at the order. "How dare you! This has nothing to do with you."

"Bullshit." Masamune glares dangerously. "You come into _our_ home, insult your son, the man I love, and then _hit_ him? I'd say it has _a lot_ to do with me."

"Insolent brat." Aia scoffs.

"Only when it comes to him. Now get _out_ of our house." Masamune's glare deepens.

Takao starts forward aggressively, but Aia holds her arm out in a halting gesture.

"Fine, we'll leave now. But make no mistake." she spares a glance toward Ritsu. "He'll always be an Onodera through and through. He'll understand what that truly means at some point."

Ritsu flinches.

"We'll be going now. No need to show us to the exit." Aia gracefully spins on her heel, and marches elegantly out the door. Takao follows closely behind.

And just like that, they're gone.

 _Exhaustion_ like he's never known crashes into him, and Ritsu's knees buckle before he sinks to the floor.

' _Did that really just happen?'_ it's hard to believe. With how dazed he feels right now, he wouldn't be surprised to find out this had all been some wild fever dream.

"Hey, Ritsu!" Masamune calls out in alarm.

Ritsu comes back to reality when Masamune kneels to the floor, and cups his uninjured cheek.

"Are you okay? Let me see." he turns Ritsu's head gently to inspect the cut.

The action makes Ritsu's eyes burn.

' _It was worth it.'_ some warmth fills Ritsu's chest, and he leans into Masamune's palm gratefully.

"Damn, she got you good." Masamune frowns.

Ritsu hums in response. He doesn't trust himself to speak at the moment.

Masamune frowns at his silence.

"Hey, don't let what they said get to you. You're not just an Onodera."

Ritsu flinches, and looks stubbornly at the floor.

"I'm serious."

Masamune carefully forces Ritsu to make eye contact with him.

"You're so much _more_ than that. I can't even begin to explain how special you are. Your parents are idiots if they can't appreciate that you're _Ritsu_."

Ritsu's eyes widen.

"And for what it's worth, I like Ritsu _a lot_ better." Masamune declares, kissing Ritsu's forehead.

Ritsu's eyes burn even more, but he refuses to cry. He lets out a breath, but it sounds more like a sob.

' _How can he always know exactly what I need to hear?'_ it will forever remain a mystery to Ritsu.

"Are you hurt anywhere else?" Masamune scans him worriedly.

Ritsu holds up the palm he burned earlier silently. It's even more red than it was before, if that's possible.

Masamune hisses. "How on earth did you manage that?" he asks incredulously.

Ritsu shrugs. He honestly kind of just wants to take a nap now, please.

Masamune sighs. "Alright, let's go get the first aid kit." he stands, and holds out a hand to help Ritsu to his feet.

Ritsu doesn't let go.

He knows that this isn't the last time his parents will cause problems for them. He's willing to bet that they'll call sometime tomorrow with a fake apology full of excuses.

And he knows that he'll probably accept their shitty apology, because that's what he does. And then, they'll be right back to where they started.

He's been trying to escape the Onodera name for as long as he can remember. There's no way it will be over any time soon.

He's already exhausted just thinking about it.

But he also knows that he has something different know.

He has _resolve._

He and Masamune have something _good,_ and he is determined to protect that.

He _won't_ let his life be decided by his parents anymore.

Besides, Masamune likes _Ritsu_ better than _Onodera_ anyway.

* * *

¯\\_(ツ)_/¯


	9. Laughter

_Hi! I feel like I haven't updated in forever, so I want to apologize. But in my defense, college is a bitch._

 _Also I may or may not have been seduced by Hitorijime My Hero for a while... it's just... so good? And I love it? But anyways, here, have some fluff!_

* * *

Masamune Takano is worried.

Well, he's more than just worried, honestly, but he's not sure how else to describe this tense, agonizing feeling that is currently making him want to tear his hair out.

Ritsu has been acting… strangely, recently.

Which, considering that Ritsu is eccentric on even an average day, is saying _a lot._

Not that Masamune doesn't know exactly what's causing his boyfriend's unusual behavior.

' _I guess having your overbearing parents show up out of the blue and find out that you're dating a man_ would _be a little difficult.'_

Huh, who knew?

And as if that wasn't enough, both Aia and Takano Onodera's reactions had been… _unideal,_ to put it lightly.

Masamune's blood still _boils_ when he thinks about how Ritsu's own _mother_ had dared to strike him; and even accidentally made him _bleed._

Suffice to say, Ritsu's reaction is _completely_ justified.

But Masamune is still worried.

Because since that day, Ritsu has hardly said a single word.

And he hasn't smiled once.

Masamune is about to go _insane._

' _I have to do something about this.'_

But therein lies the problem. He wants, no, _needs,_ to help Ritsu, but he doesn't have a clue what to do. Why are emotions so _annoying_ , dammit!?

Oh well, he'll have time to hate feelings of any kind later.

"I'm home."

Masamune jolts at the quiet voice that suddenly speaks from behind him.

' _How did he do that? I didn't even hear the door open.'_

Masamune is starting to suspect that his boyfriend is actually a ghost.

"Hey, you're just in time. Food's almost done." he says casually.

Ritsu nods.

Masamune sneakily takes in his boyfriend's appearance.

To put it nicely, Ritsu looks like absolute hell. There are dark bags under his eyes, his skin is paler than normal, and there's still a bandaid on his cheek.

The sight squeezes Masamune's heart.

"Did you even sleep at all last night?" Masamune tries to sound firm, but even he can hear the concern in his voice.

Ritsu nods.

' _Liar.'_ Does he think Masamune's an idiot?

Don't answer that.

Masamune crosses his arms, and stares at him unwaveringly; one eyebrow raised in disbelief.

Knowing he's been busted, Ritsu shakes his head sheepishly.

Masamune sighs.

' _Damn. I need to get him into bed.'_ he's not ashamed to admit that this is hardly an uncommon thought, but this time he can honestly say that he has pure intentions.

Really, he does.

Okay fine, he wouldn't usually believe himself either but this is _serious._

"Take a nap." Masamune urges, taking a step closer so that he can soothingly stroke Ritsu's ridiculously soft hair.

Ritsu sighs quietly in contentment, and slumps slightly. He seems to be considering resting, at least.

Masamune wonders if a hug would be welcomed. Normally he wouldn't care, but Ritsu is kind of in a delicate place right now, and he has _some_ decency.

Stop laughing.

"Go sleep. I'll wake you up in an hour."

Ritsu bites his lip; conflicted.

Masamune smirks. Pure intentions or not, he knows how to trick Ritsu into taking care of himself.

"Or," he starts, leaning closer so that his lips brush Ritsu's ear, "if you think that you'll get lonely, I can come with you. But you probably won't get much sleep if I do that." he warns lowly.

As always, it works like a charm.

Ritsu's face practically bursts into flames. He sputters, and shakes his head violently, before practically bolting into their bedroom and pointedly slamming the door.

Masamune might be hurt if he wasn't so amused.

' _Some things never change.'_

And now that Ritsu is getting some much needed, and well deserved rest, Masamune can breathe a little easier.

 _Objective: Make Ritsu sleep._ _ **Completed.**_

 _Next task: Make Ritsu laugh._

Masamune frowns.

' _What to do, what to do, what to do?'_

Masamune's eyes widen as an idea strikes him like a bolt of lightning.

' _Well, desperate times call for desperate measures.'_ he smiles wickedly.

Masamune may or may not have a boyfriend after this, but that's a risk he's willing to take.

In an hour. Maybe two.

What? Ritsu really looked like he needed a nap, okay?

* * *

Ritsu is _tired._

Mostly emotionally, but his physical exhaustion is nothing to be ignored.

' _I am going to sleep forever.'_ he decides.

It's perfect. Nothing can go wrong.

But then his bedroom door creak open slowly.

' _Who the hell is in my room?'_ Ritsu mentally groans.

He's trying to sleep here! He doesn't have time or energy for people breaking into his apartment.

' _If I'm about to get killed by a serial killer I hope Masamune knows that I love him.'_ he thinks absently, rolling over on his side.

The sound of footsteps approaching grows louder.

' _Dammit. Masamune's gonna kill me when he finds out I died.'_

Oh well. Ritsu is way too exhausted to run away from a murderer right now.

"Sorry, Ritsu, but this is for your own good." a voice speaks out suddenly; not sounding particularly sorry at all.

Ritsu is instantly on high alert.

 _Danger!_

He _knows_ that voice.

He knows that voice _very_ well and it sounds far too smug.

 _Escape!_

But it's already too late. A familiar weight settles on top of him, and Ritsu is effectively immobilized.

"Masa-!" Ritsu gasps when he feels fingers run along his sides and _squeeze._

' _Oh god, please no.'_

"Ritsu." Masamune says solemnly, but he can't hide his triumphant smile. "Just know that I'm doing this because I love you."

"What the hell are you talking about!?" Ritsu squirms violently; desperately trying to remove himself from underneath his _way too close_ boyfriend.

In response, Masamune wiggles his fingers against Ritsu's sides.

Ritsu _shrieks._

Masamune freezes, his eyes wide in shock.

Ritsu covers his mouth, but the damage has already been done.

' _Oh shit.'_

This is _not happening._

But clearly it is.

"I'll be honest, I didn't really think you were ticklish." Masamune smirks.

"I'm not!" Ritsu denies fiercely.

' _Shit, shit, shit!'_

"Liar." Masamune calls his bluff flatly.

Ritsu hisses angrily. Nobody was _ever_ supposed to find out about this.

 _Especially_ Masamune.

Ritsu almost would have preferred the serial killer.

Without warning, Masamune begins his attack on Ritsu again; this time tickling his sides, his stomach. under his neck, his _feet._

Uncontrollable laughter forces itself out of Ritsu until his chest is heaving and tears are welled up in his eyes.

It's pure _torture._

"Masamune stop!" he pleads breathlessly in between giggles to no avail.

"Sorry. You need this." Masamune says cryptically. He happily ignores any and all of Ritsu's wild thrashing in favor of tickling the younger man mercilessly.

Ritsu finally stops struggling. He knows that resistance is futile. Besides, right now he's more worried about trying to keep breathing than escaping.

"Wow. I should have done this days ago." Masamune says amusedly.

Ritsu is laughing too hard to respond properly. He's pretty sure his face is more red than a tomato at this point, and he can feel that his cheeks are soaked from tears of laughter.

"Masamune, please, I can't breathe!" Ritsu begs. His stomach is starting to hurt. He hasn't laughed this much in a while.

Apparently satisfied for now, Masamune finally lets up on his viscous assault.

Ritsu pants, still laughing a little, and wipes the salty tears off of his face.

"It's about time. I was getting worried about you." Masamune smiles at Ritsu in relief.

"What do you mean? And did you really have to do that? I thought I was gonna die." Ritsu pouts.

Masamune chuckles. "Thank goodness. It seems like you're back to normal." he ruffles Ritsu's hair fondly.

Ritsu scowls. As usual, be doesn't know what the _hell_ Masamune is talking about.

"This is the most you've said to me in almost three days." Masamune points out.

"Oh." Ritsu's eyes widen. _'He's right!'_

Masamune smiles wryly. "I was trying to give you space, but I just wanted to help you. You haven't smiled or laughed lately either." he says gently.

That's right. Ever since Ritsu's parents showed up and made a mess of things, he supposes he hasn't been very good company.

"I'm sorry." he whispers.

"No." Masamune says firmly, grabbing Ritsu's hand and squeezing it in reassurance. "Don't you dare apologize. I know that you're doing your best."

Ritsu gives him a small smile of gratitude.

"I just wanted to see you smile. Hear you laugh." Masamune explains. "I missed it."

Ritsu's face is _hot._

' _How can he say that so easily!?'_

Masamune laughs fondly at his boyfriend's scandalized expression.

Ritsu tries to say something, _anything,_ but he can't.

Masamune pats Ritsu's head a few times. "Just remember that I'm here whenever you need to talk, okay?"

Ritsu nods.

God, Masamune can be an absolute asshole sometimes, but then he'll go and say stuff like _that_ and Ritsu swears his heart will beat out of his chest.

He wouldn't change it for the world.

"Good." Masamune stands. "Now c'mon. I let you sleep for two hours and I'm hungry." he holds a hand out to help Ritsu up as well.

Ritsu takes it and doesn't let go.

"Masamune, I just…"

Dammit, why is he so _bad_ with words?

"Thank you. I feel a lot better thanks to you." Ritsu smiles.

Masamune smiles back. "Always." he promises.

It's not enough.

It'll _never_ be enough to convey just how grateful Ritsu is to him, but it'll have to do for now.

Hopefully, Masamune understands what Ritsu can't bring himself to say. He is creepily good at reading Ritsu these days. It's a little concerning.

Masamune tilts Ritsu's chin up just a little in order to kiss him properly.

They stay like that for an embarrassingly long time.

* * *

 _I think I gave myself a cavity writing this tbh._


	10. Rumor has it

_Hi, I hate this chapter. I literally hate it. It's so terrible, but I couldn't make myself delete it. I tried. Don't look at me._

* * *

"Um, Takano, can I talk to you for a second?"

The voice that speaks seems calm enough, but there's an underlying sense of something unpleasant in their tone.

Masamune Takano is so absorbed with proofreading Erika Ichinose's latest manuscript that it takes him a moment to realize that Kisa Shouta has asked him a question.

"Sure. What's up?" Masamune frowns as he notices yet another mistake his star author has made.

' _He probably just wants to ask for more prints of his book for that one store that always sells the most copies.'_

Hmm. Somebody who works there must _really_ like Kisa's work.

But that's none of his business.

"It's about Rittie." Kisa's tone is more urgent now.

Masamune's head snaps up so fast that he hisses and slaps a hand to a sudden crick in his neck.

Well, that's certainly one way to get his undivided attention quickly.

Apprehension settles in Masamune's chest when Kisa doesn't even crack a smile at his rare display of surprise.

"He asked me to keep quiet about this, but I really think that you should know."

That doesn't sound good.

"Smart," Masamune says appreciatively; crossing his arms over his chest. "What has he gotten himself into this time?"

It's been historically proven that when Ritsu doesn't want to talk to Masamune about things that are bothering him _bad things happen._

Like breaking up for ten years over a stupid misunderstanding, for example.

Kisa fidgets nervously. "Well, there have been… rumors going around lately." he begins hesitantly.

Masamune frowns. "What kind of rumors?" he asks, but he's pretty sure he can make an educated guess.

"They're about the both of you, but mostly Rittie." Kisa wrinkles his nose in disgust.

A protective spark ignites within Masamune.

"They're saying that he…" Kisa shudders and looks as if he may be sick. "That he… _does_ things for you so that you'll give him special treatment."

The careful word choice makes it clear that there's much more to that statement.

The protective spark instantly bursts into a flame that makes Masamune's blood boil.

Somebody in Marukawa Publishing clearly has a death wish.

"Of course, we all know the truth," Kisa reassures him hastily. "We've been trying to put a stop to them, but they just keep getting worse."

 _'Calm. I will stay calm. I will stay calm because killing people is still illegal.'_

Masamune spares a moment to be grateful that he and Ritsu had revealed their relationship to the Emerald team.

"But now it's gone too far." Kisa places a crumpled up note on top of Masamune's desk. Then he snatches he had away as if the paper had burned him. "We found this on his desk today. It's not pretty," he warns.

"A note? What is this, middle school?" Masamune unfurls the abused paper none too gently and scowls.

 _You're disgusting._

The first words hit Masamune with a nauseating feeling of déjà vu.

 _It's not enough for you to have your job handed to you on a silver platter, but now you want_ more _favors?_

He absently notes that his knuckles are whitening.

 _We already knew that Takano would sleep with anyone, but he has truly lowered his standards if_ you're _his new toy._

His stomach churns threateningly with anger.

 _Oh, how the mighty Onodera clan has fallen. People like you will never understand what it means to work hard. Do everyone a favor and run back to daddy now._

It's a short note, but by the time Masamune has finished reading, his hands are shaking so badly that it rips in half.

"I'm guessing you don't know who wrote this garbage?" he asks carefully through gritted teeth.

Kisa shakes his head. "No. If we did, you and Rittie would be the first to know."

' _Shit, Ritsu!'_

"Where's Ritsu?" Masamune asks, standing up abruptly.

Kisa takes a step back in surprise. "I don't know. I think he said he was going home.'

' _Dammit.'_

He doesn't give a shit about the rumors. But Ritsu, on the other hand, has always been the type to stress himself out about what people think of him.

Masamune needs to find him _now._

"I'm leaving for the day." Masamune declares. He's not completely finished with his work yet, but he's the boss. He can do what he wants. And right now he wants to find his boyfriend.

"Understood. When you find Rittie, please tell him that me and everyone else are on your side." Kisa requests sincerely.

"I will." Masamune nods and quickly strides over to the elevators.

"And one more thing."

Masamune glances at Kisa over his shoulder with an eyebrow raised.

"When you find whoever did this, give them a message for me."

The angry tone Kisa speaks in takes Masamune aback for a moment.

"Tell them that if they decide to keep messing with Rittie, or _any_ of my friends, they will regret it," he promises lowly. He smiles, but it's more than a bit cruel.

' _Hm. Never would have pegged Kisa as the sadistic type.'_

What a surprise.

Masamune approves.

"With pleasure." he nods once and enters the elevator.

The doors slide shut, and Masamune presses the button for the first floor.

It hasn't been that long. There's no way that Ritsu could have made it too far.

' _But where is he?'_

Masamune is pleasantly surprised when his question is answered unexpectedly as soon as the elevator doors open.

"So are you the ones who have been spreading this gossip or not?" an all too familiar voice demands.

Well, that was easy.

' _There he is.'_ Masamune smiles wryly. He would recognize that defiant tone anywhere.

"I have no idea what you're talking about." an obnoxious voice rings out. "I haven't heard any gossip. Only what's true," it says maliciously.

Anger spikes in Masamune's chest, and causes his fist to clench.

He follows the sound of arguing to an almost hidden side hallway.

Once again, it seems that Ritsu has landed himself in a rather unpleasant situation.

"Don't lie!" Ritsu demands heatedly. He's currently backed into a corner; surrounded by three men Masamune doesn't recognize.

' _Three against one?'_ Masamune scoffs in disgust. _'Cowards.'_

But as expected, being outnumbered is hardly enough to deter Ritsu from his angry tirade.

Masamune can't decide if he should be worried or proud.

"I know you're the one who put the note on my desk. Mino told me he saw you hanging around the Emerald department earlier. You work on a completely different floor!"

Masamune's instinct of worry prevails, along with a sharp stab of possessiveness as one of the three buffoons snickers, and invades Ritsu's personal space.

' _Get_ away _from him.'_ Masamune is trying his best to let Ritsu handle this on his own, but he's never been one for self-control.

"Oh, Mino saw us, did he? Why weren't _you_ at your desk?" the man asks knowingly. "Perhaps you were too busy having _fun_ with Takano?" he mocks.

"That's none of your concern!" Ritsu sputters. His face is an alarming shade of red.

"What," a different man from the group chimes in. "Too proud to admit that you're a pampered prince who can't do anything for himself except fucking his boss?" he sneers.

Masamune sees _red._

"T- take that back!" Ritsu commands, but his protests are becoming weaker.

"Or what, you'll send Takano after us?" the third man says sarcastically. "Please, like he actually cares about you." he rolls his eyes.

Ritsu recoils.

That's the final straw.

"He doesn't have to do a thing." Masamune finally reveals his presence. "I'll kick your asses of my own free will," he promises coldly.

"Ta- Takano!"

"Masamune!"

Four voices call out in unison, but Masamune only cares about one.

Ritsu's eyes are blown wide, and his face is flushed. He jolts when he and Masamune make eye contact.

Cute.

' _Too bad I don't care how cute you are. We are having a conversation about you and communication when we get home.'_

Almost as if he heard the ominous thought, Ritsu cringes.

"Takano, we were just-" the one who had been standing _far_ too close to Ritsu suddenly stumbles back a few steps.

' _Too little too late.'_

"Oh, I know _exactly_ what you were doing," Masamune says, eyes narrowed dangerously.

The man flinches.

"Sorry I'm late, _Ritsu_ ," Masamune emphasizes using the editor's first name. He walks purposefully over to stand next to Ritsu and is darkly amused when the other men scramble away desperately.

"What are you doing here?" Ritsu asks confusedly. "There's no way it's time for you to be leaving yet."

"Kisa told me you had gone home early, so I got worried," Masamune explains. "After all…" he glares icily at the three morons, "I happen to care about you quite a bit."

Ritsu blinks in shock, and his eyes dart wildly around, before focusing on the floor determinedly.

The action is so endearing Masamune can't stop himself from ruffling Ritsu's hair affectionately.

Three pairs of eyes shift rapidly between them, and dawn in apprehension.

' _Hm. Maybe they have brains after all.'_

Masamune doubts it.

The idiots who had dared to harass Ritsu now look absolutely terrified.

' _Good. As they should.'_ Masamune feels grimly satisfied.

"So of course, I left to go home and find you. And it's it's a good thing I did, too." he places a hand on Ritsu's shoulder, and tries to inject as much venom in his voice as possible.

It's a shame, really. If these imbeciles had quit while they were ahead, maybe they would have been able to keep their jobs.

Too bad.

They picked the _one_ person who renders Masamune irresponsible of his actions. It's their own fault.

"I'm sure that Mr. Isaka will be absolutely _thrilled_ when I inform him that three dumbasses have been violating Marukawa Publishing's Sexual Harassment Policy."

The men all pale at the realization of their own stupidity.

"You can't be serious." one of them protests weakly. "C'mon, Takano, don't act like this."

The one next to him nods wildly in agreement. "We were just trying to help. You can't honestly expect us to believe that he actually gives a shit about you or this job. I mean, he's an _Onodera._ He's just using you because that's what they do."

Ritsu flinches as if he's been slapped. He tries to pretend it doesn't bother him, but his parents are still a sore subject.

Masamune scowls; outraged and disgusted at the _wrongness_ of these strangers' assumptions.

' _That's enough.'_

"Listen up, because I'll only say this once."

These guys have _really_ overstayed their welcome.

Masamune squeezes Ritsu's shoulder comfortingly. "This guy right here, is the single most hardworking person I've ever met." he proclaims unabashedly.

Ritsu lets out a surprised sound.

Masamune sneaks a glance at him, and notes appreciatively that his eyes are wide and awestruck.

"Sure he was a bit useless when he started here," Masamune admits.

The adoring look that had been on Ritsu's face vanishes in a second. "Useless?" he questions under his breath.

"But," Masamune continues hastily, "He proved really quickly that he's so much _more_ than just an Onodera. And I know that I can rely on him. So if you three have time to waste harassing my employee, go do your own work. Maybe then you'll be half as good as him."

A stunned silence sweeps over them.

' _Not good enough."_

"Have I made myself clear?" Masamune questions dangerously.

Three shaky nods are all the response he needs.

"Good. Now _scram."_

They don't need to be told twice, apparently. In almost the blink of an eye, Masamune and Ritsu are alone.

' _Pathetic.'_ Masamune shakes his head in disgust.

He can't wait to track them down and watch Isaka fire them.

"Um… Thank you." Ritsu says quietly. His eyes are stubbornly locked on his feet.

Masamune frowns. "Are you okay? They didn't actually touch you, did they?"

If they somehow dared to physically hurt him, Masamune _will_ go after them _right now._

Thankfully, Ritsu shakes his head. "No, I'm fine."

Masamune scoffs in disbelief, but nevertheless feels himself calm down. Slightly. "Good."

If that's the case…

"What the hell were you thinking!?"

Ritsu jerks his head up reflexively at Masamune's outburst.

"You should have come to me the _instant_ you found that note. Not lied about where you were going and try to confront them on your own!"

Ritsu winces.

Masamune's anger sizzles out. He sighs. "Sorry, I know it wasn't your fault," he says reassuringly. "But there was _three of them._ I know they turned out to be cowards, but what if they had actually wanted to hurt you?"

"You're right. I'm sorry." Ritsu smiles sheepishly.

 _Dammit._

"I'm sorry too. I really didn't mean to yell at you."

Masamune gives up. It's _impossible_ to stay mad at Ritsu for long.

"But if something like this ever happens again, please talk to me first. I already said that I rely on you. It's okay if you rely on me a little, too." he balls his fist and lightly hits Ritsu on the head.

"Yeah yeah." Ritsu huffs. He tries to sound annoyed, but the red stain on his cheeks betrays him.

Masamune rolls his eyes fondly.

God, he hopes Ritsu never changes.

"Well, since we both seem to have decided not to do our work anymore today, can we go home now?" Ritsu asks.

"Whats this?" Masamune fakes shock. "You actually want to go home _early?"_

The world must be coming to an end.

"Come on," Ritsu pouts. "I was sexually harassed, according to you. I deserve a break."

Masamune raises an eyebrow. "You do realize that going home only prevents other people from distracting me from you, right? There _will_ be sexual harassment." he points out.

Ritsu frowns. "Shit. Yeah, I didn't think that one through. Never mind, I'm going back to work!" he declares, and turns on his heel to flee.

' _As if.'_

Masamune snatches the back of Ritsu's shirt collar. "Relax, I was kidding. Mostly."

Ritsu sputters.

"We'll go home for the day, but tomorrow you should file a report with Isaka about this," Masamune advises.

Ritsu frowns, eyebrows furrowed in thought.

"Or I could just go find them right now and-"

"No! I'll do the report!" Ritsu promises.

Masamune feels slightly disappointed. "Okay then."

Ritsu breathes a sigh of relief.

Masamune still doesn't like that they still don't know who actually started the rumors, but he's willing to let it go. For now.

"Well, shall we both leave in the middle of the day and give these dunces something to talk about?" he asks teasingly.

Ritsu laughs wryly. "Sure, why not?"

This probably won't be the last time something like this happens.

But, what can you do?

Besides, who gives a shit about a few rumors anyway?

* * *

 _Abrupt ending is abrupt. I'm sorry this is so shitty. I blame finals._


	11. Heart attack

_This is... nothing but pure fluff... I love it!_

 _Also: me, craving romantic affection desperately and writing something ridiculously self indulgent? It's more likely than you think._

 _(P.s. I have to take finals this week, so I honestly don't know when my next update will be. I'm sorry! I'd much rather write about these idiots than study but sadly that's not an option. I hate studying!)_

* * *

Ritsu Onodera is sincerely worried about the state of his heart.

You see, it's been doing this thing recently, where it will just _stop_ with no warning whatsoever.

"I love you, Ritsu."

 _Thud._

See, there it goes again! Maybe he should think about seeing a doctor.

Okay, fine. Ritsu's not _completely_ clueless about what it is that's going to lead to his early death, but it's not something he likes to talk about.

He'll be the first to admit that he is hardly the most experienced person when it comes to dating.

And by that, he means that he's only seriously dated one person in his entire life. Or two, if you count Saga and Takano as separate people.

Thinking about that is confusing, and it makes Ritsu's stomach hurt; so he doesn't.

Anyways, the point is: he doesn't really know how to _be_ in a relationship. Ergo, whenever he receives romantic affection of any kind… he panics.

Masamune is less than sympathetic to his plight.

Every time the man randomly declares his love, Ritsu swears that he gets one step closer to full-blown cardiac arrest.

Ritsu makes dinner?

' _I love you.'_

 _Thud._

Ritsu wakes up cranky and downs eight cups of coffee?

' _I love you.'_

 _Thud._

Ritsu makes flimsy excuses to stay late after work so they can walk home together?

' _I love you.'_

 _Thud._

Ritsu pulls yet another all-nighter, and has deep bags under his eyes the next day because _somebody_ distracted him from finishing his work at a respectable hour?

' _I love you.'_

 _Thud._

Ritsu does literally _anything_?

' _I love you.'_

 _Thud._

It's a miracle that he's still alive.

Ritsu… doesn't _not_ like it; but if Masamune doesn't tone it down, he's going to explode.

The mattress suddenly shifts, and a squeak of surprise escapes Ritsu as a pair of arms snake around him, and he's yanked back into a firm chest.

"Why," Masamune's voice is thick with sleep, and it sends shivers down Ritsu's spine. "Do you insist on staying up past unholy hours almost _every night,"_ he complains.

"I wasn't even doing anything." Ritsu retorts defensively and prays that his heartbeat isn't really _that_ loud.

Masamune scoffs. "You think _way_ too loudly, you know? Turn your brain off," he orders.

Now it's Ritsu's turn to scoff. "If it was that easy, don't you think I would have done it already? Besides it's your fault anyway." he declares petulantly.

"And just how do you figure that?" Masamune asks incredulously.

"Everything's your fault!"

Masamune sighs heavily. Why is Ritsu so damn _weird_?

"Whatever you say." it's way too late, or early, for this. "Any chance you want to tell me what I did this time?"

Ritsu seals his lips firmly.

"Fine then."

Ritsu's breath hitches in his throat and his eyes widen as he's suddenly rolled onto his back and a heavy, but _oh so familiar_ weight settles on top of him.

 _Thud thud thud._

Yup, it's official. He's dead.

"I guess that makes me responsible for getting you to stop thinking."

Ritsu fails to suppress a shudder at the pure suggestiveness in Masamune's tone.

"Any ideas?" Masamune whispers, leaning closer and closer and _closer_ to brush his lips against Ritsu's neck.

Ritsu's skin _burns._

 _Oh, so many ideas._

He squeezes his eyes shut, and desperately draws in a ragged breath. "N-no. No ideas whatsoever."

Masamune chuckles at Ritsu's predictability. "You're an idiot. I love you."

Ritsu's eyes fly open.

 _Thud._

He brings a hand up to his chest and lays it flat. Just as he expected, his heart is racing entirely too fast to be healthy.

"Hey, what's wrong? Does something hurt?" Masamune leans back slightly and stares at Ritsu in concern.

"You keep saying… _that_." Ritsu starts, looking anywhere but directly at Masamune.

"Saying what?" The worry in Masamune's eyes fades into confusion.

"That you… love me." Ritsu's cheeks warm. "No one's ever said it to me as much as you do. I guess I'm still not used to it. I don't think I'll _ever_ get used to it," he admits quietly.

Masamune's eyes soften in understanding. No longer able to resist, he leans back in and kisses Ritsu deeply.

Not a word is spoken, but it doesn't have to be. The 'I love you' is heard loud and clear.

 _Warmth_ fills Ritsu's chest, and he _melts._

' _I love this man way too much for my own good.'_

A small, almost inaudible whine of protest is drawn from the back of Ritsu's throat when Masamune pulls away.

"H-hey, why did you stop?" even to his own ears, Ritsu's voice sounds thoroughly displeased.

Masamune laughs. "Because I wanted to tell you that I love you," he says affectionately.

 _Thud._

Ritsu's cheeks aren't just warm anymore. They're an _inferno_.

"I guess there's no choice," Masamune says, his tone shifting to mischievous. "I'm going to start saying it even more, now."

 _Oh no._

Yeah, Ritsu's a goner.

"Please don't." he requests weakly.

"Okay." Masamune agrees easily.

"Really?"

"No. I love you."

 _Thud._

Ritsu smothers his groan into the pillow.

Masamune snickers, definitely enjoying his boyfriend's torment.

"I hate you."

"I love you."

 _Thud._

"You're going to kill me." Ritsu declares flatly. He attempts to smother himself with his pillow, but sadly, it doesn't work.

"Love is going to kill you?" Masamune snorts in disbelief.

"Yes." his reply is muffled. Ritsu can't see him, but he can _hear_ the eyebrow Masamune raises skeptically.

"That's too bad."

Cold air hits Ritsu's flaming face and he gasps as Masamune removes his pillow shield.

"Because I'm going to keep telling you I love you."

Ritsu's eyes widen, and his breath stutters in his chest.

"After all," a note of anguish enters Masamune's voice now, and Ritsu can tell he's desperately trying to hide it. "I wasn't able to say it for ten years."

 _Oh._

Misunderstandings and wasted time suddenly weigh heavily in Ritsu's stomach.

"Masa-" Ritsu is cut off by lips pressing firmly against his own. And even though a kiss between the two of them is hardly an unfamiliar sensation, It feels different this time.

It feels like a promise.

Ritsu's eyes are still closed a few moments after Masamune pulls away _just_ slightly.

"So I've got a lot to make up for," Masamune says, tracing along the side of Ritsu's face with his finger reverently.

"Masamune…" Ritsu whispers breathlessly, unable to think properly and come up with any other response.

This does not escape Masamune's attention. "Well, would you look at that? Told you I could get you to stop thinking," he says quietly in fond amusement.

So it would appear. Ritsu simply nods absently in agreement.

What is _thinking_ anyways? It sounds awful.

"Ritsu…" Masamune once again closes the distance between them.

As always, Ritsu's very skin catches fire, and he melts; completely helpless to resist.

But that's okay. He doesn't want to.

"I love you."

 _Thud._

Ritsu Onodera is still sincerely worried about the state of his heart. So for now, he'll leave it with Masamune for safe keeping.

* * *

 _S o self indulgent._


	12. Ritsu does (not) handle jealousy well

_I passed all my finals! So of course now everything has gone to shit._

 _Today has... not been a good day._

 _First, I wake up early for work completely without a voice, feeling like I just survived hell week. (Barely.) And then I find out my dog has heartworms. Fun times all around._

 _Sorry for my bitterness. I'm good now._

 _In other news, this chapter (and pretty much this entire fic tbh) is dedicated to two people. My amazing irl angel of a best friend who puts up with me ranting about this mess pretty much 24/7. Love you Lori! And also to DardaSaba, who comments on *Every* chapter. You're awesome!_

 _Alright, enough rambling. Enjoy!_

* * *

All Ritsu had wanted was _one_ normal night out to celebrate with his boyfriend; was that too much to ask?

Well, with the way things were going right now, apparently so.

Question: is it possible to spontaneously combust in order to escape awkward, uncomfortable, and painful situations?

Ritsu's answer: unfortunately, it is not. He's been trying for the last five minutes. No dice.

Ritsu sighs, and cups his hand around his drink protectively. He idly notices that the ice is melting. He should finish it now, right? Before it gets all watered down?

He probably shouldn't.

He does anyway.

The alcohol burns his throat on the way down, but Ritsu hardly notices. He vaguely wishes he had gotten something stronger.

' _And everything had started out so great.'_

He'd actually been _excited_ for tonight.

Work had been… tough lately, to say the least. Hell week had recently been stretching into hell _months_ , and every _single_ author who worked for the Emerald Department seems to have conspired together to make their editors suffer as much as humanly possible.

And that wasn't even the worst of it.

The sudden and unending workload would have been at least tolerable, though still a pain in the ass, if it hadn't been the direct cause of Ritsu not being able to see his own boyfriend for more than five minutes at a time for almost two weeks.

 _Five minutes!_

Don't ask him how he knows the exact time; he'll never tell.

Okay, fine. Ritsu had set a timer.

Don't judge him! It had only confirmed his suspicions that this was getting to be _ridiculous_.

Luckily for Ritsu though, Masamune was even more displeased with the situation than he was.

Apparently, when he doesn't get enough _'Ritsu time',_ as he'd so eloquently put it, Masamune tends to become rather… upset.

By which Ritsu means that he ends up pushed against walls, floors, and pretty much any flat surface even more than usual. Which is saying a lot.

Ritsu honestly doesn't particularly mind this development, but _still_!

So when Masamune had declared that they were going out for the evening, Ritsu hadn't put up a fight.

It was nice.

Masamune had driven them around with no specific destination in mind; and when they had gotten hungry, they'd stopped at the first restaurant they saw and agreed on. Nothing excessively fancy or anything, but the food was excellent.

Everything was going fine. _Perfectly_ , even.

Ritsu wishes that they had just gone back home after that.

But after dinner, he and Masamune both noticed that it was still not that late. And since neither of them were in too much of a hurry to end their night out, they'd decided to make one more stop.

Masamune suggested grabbing a drink. And Ritsu, like a damn _fool_ , had agreed without hesitation.

Curse that man, and his knowledge about how little self-control Ritsu has when it comes to alcohol.

They hadn't been at the bar for that long. Maybe half an hour or so? Enough time for Ritsu to finish his first drink, at least.

They really should have gone home after that.

But Masamune was _laughing_. And calling Ritsu a lightweight affectionately. And Ritsu was valiantly pretending to ignore him and they were having _fun_ dammit. He didn't want to leave.

Until…

"Masamune!"

They should have gone home.

The voice that dared to be so familiar and use Masamune's first name cut across the room; making itself impossible to disregard. The first thing that Ritsu notices is that the voice belongs to a woman.

The second thing he notices is that she is _beautiful._

Her hair is a rich, creamy chestnut color that tumbles past her shoulder elegantly. It perfectly accentuates her flawless, doll-like face, and the ruby red of her stunning dress. Her eyes, the same blue as a bright and clear sky, are locked on Masamune.

Ritsu hates her instantly.

Masamune stops speaking mid-sentence, and Ritsu notes just a bit smugly how displeased the other man looks at being interrupted.

"Masamune, is that you?" the woman asks, crossing the room with graceful strides.

' _Please don't.'_ Ritsu silently pleads.

"It is you!" her blindingly white smile widens in delight.

"Sorry," Masamune says, sounding almost bored. "Do I know you?" Not a hint of emotion is given away from his expression as he examines the woman critically.

She just laughs, seemingly not put off by Masamune's obvious disinterest in the least. "Just as tactful as ever I see," she says teasingly. "But I guess it has been a long time. It's me, Kuri."

Masamune's eyes widen, and he chokes.

Kuri beams.

Foreboding washes over Ritsu, and he signals for another drink. He has a feeling he's going to need it.

Kuri huffs, rolls her eyes, and directs her attention to Ritsu. "We haven't met. I'm Kuri." she extends her hand to shake Ritsu's.

Ritsu takes it and is not surprised to find that her hands are unfairly soft.

"Hopefully _you'll_ remember." she glances pointedly at Masamune. _"_ Can you believe him?" she asks accusingly.

Ritsu forces a small smile. "Nice to meet you. And don't take it personally. It took him _days_ to recognize me."

"Hey, you didn't recognize me either." Masamune protests, crossing his arms across his chest almost childishly.

Ritsu just shrugs. That's true enough.

Masamune lightly flicks him on the forehead. "What are you doing here anyway, Kuri?" his tone is slightly wary as he expertly changes the subject.

Kuri raises one well-groomed eyebrow. "Trying to get rid of me already? That's not very nice of you." she pouts.

Masamune sighs. "You know that's not what I meant."

Ritsu looks back and forth between the two. He can't help but notice how natural their banter seems. He is… not sure how he feels about that. "Um, if you don't mind my asking, how do you two know each other?" he wants to kick himself as soon as he asks the question.

Masamune grimaces.

Apprehension squeezes Ritsu's heart. He's not sure he really wants to know the answer.

"What a lovely expression you have there, Masamune." Kuri scoffs, sarcasm dripping from her tone.

"Kuri-" Masamune interjects, but her attention has already returned to Ritsu.

"You can't tell by looking at him now, but we were very good…" she pauses, and the slightest of smirks twists her features. " _Friends_ , back in college."

' _Friends?'_

 _Oh._

' _So this woman and Masamune…'_

Ritsu doesn't know _everything_ about Masamune's college days, but thanks to Yokozawa, he knows enough to understand exactly what kind of _friendship_ is being referred to here.

Nausea curls in the pit of his stomach. He wishes he hadn't asked.

"I see." Ritsu takes a large gulp of his drink. It's bitter; which he finds appropriate.

' _It was a long time ago.'_ he reminds himself of this fact firmly. _'It doesn't matter anymore.'_

It _doesn't_.

So why does he suddenly feel so inadequate?

"That's ancient history," Masamune states firmly. "And just so you know, I'm dating somebody right now."

Ritsu's heart skips a beat, and he resists the urge to flinch.

Kuri frowns. "Really? Who?" she demands.

Masamune waves his hand dismissively. "That's nothing you need to concern yourself with."

Kuri rolls her eyes. "Do you know who it is?" she asks Ritsu.

Ritsu, who had been concentrating on fighting his natural instinct to run and remove himself from this uncomfortable situation, jolts when he realizes that she's addressing him. "Uh, yeah I guess you could say that." he raises his drink to his lips in the hopes that she'll go back to ignoring him.

Kuri puts her hand on her hip. "Well, whoever it is, I'm sure they're not all that great." she tosses a lock of hair over her shoulder flippantly.

' _Ouch.'_

Ritsu cringes.

"Kuri!" Masamune exclaims angrily.

"Well," Ritsu doesn't realize he's spoken out loud until the sound of his own voice hits his ears. "She's right. They're nothing special." he punctuates his sentence by quickly finishing off what remains of his drink.

 _Nothing special._

The alcohol does nothing to dull the sudden stab of pain in his chest.

' _I want to go home now.'_

Masamune inhales sharply, like he's just been slapped. He opens his mouth, most likely to reprimand Ritsu for being self-deprecating again, but Kuri doesn't give him the opportunity.

"I knew it," she says triumphantly. "If that's how it is, you should come and hang out with me for a while." she smoothly sits in the open seat next to Masamune and leans in _far_ too close to his personal space.

Dread and dejection punch Ritsu in the stomach. He fights the nearly overwhelming impulse to shove Kuri.

"We used to have such a _good time_ together," Kuri's flirtatious whisper is unreasonably loud. "I'm certainly not opposed to doing it again."

Ritsu stands abruptly.

' _That's enough.'_

He can't take any more of this. The confusion, the self-doubt, the jealousy. It's too many emotions for one person, dammit!

"I think I've had enough for tonight." He's not talking about the alcohol, but he's pretty sure there's a bit more of that than strictly necessary in his system as well.

"Ritsu, wait-"

Masamune's voice almost gets Ritsu to meet his gaze, but he can't seem to look at anything that's not the floor right now.

"It's fine."

It's not fine.

"Besides, it's getting late." At least that part is true.

The fact that Ritsu is running away _again_ makes him furious with himself. But if he doesn't leave _now,_ he's gonna scream. Or cry. Probably both, if he's being honest.

"Bye!" Kuri says cheerfully.

"Bye." Ritsu forces a smile and walks away without another word. He vaguely hears Masamune protesting behind him, but he's already out the door.

* * *

 _'I'm a coward.'_

Outside, the air is thankfully much cooler than the stifling bar.

Ritsu takes a deep, shaky breath, closes his eyes, and counts to five. He's still hanging out outside the front of the bar. He's not sure why.

' _I should go home.'_

But he can't. Home means Masamune. And that's kind of exactly what Ritsu is trying to avoid right now.

So, to recap: he can't stay here, but he can't go home either.

He has effectively screwed himself.

' _I am an idiot!'_

"Ritsu! There you are, you idiot!"

Ritsu nearly jumps out of his own skin.

Masamune somehow managed to sneak up behind Ritsu. And he looks _pissed._

' _Well, shit.'_

"What the hell was that?" Masamune demands incredulously. And if Ritsu didn't know better, he wouldn't have been able to detect the worry masked by the anger.

"Sorry…" Ritsu hates how small his voice sounds right now. He tugs a strand of his hair nervously to distract himself. He feels so _stupid._

Masamune's eyebrows furrow. "Don't apologize." his voice is significantly softer now. "Explain."

Ritsu draws in a breath. But just as they always seem to do, words fail him. He bites his lip in frustration.

Shock, envy, hurt. Ritsu can't even attempt to begin to describe the jumbled mess of _everything_ inside his head.

"I just…" he tries anyway. "I couldn't stand it anymore." he clenches his fist until his nails dig into his palms painfully.

Masamune frowns. "Stand _what_?" he asks somewhat exasperatedly.

"Any of it." Ritsu's knuckles whiten. "She was… perfect." he forces the words out, and feels hollow. "Gorgeous. And you two have a history! Anyone would want to get back together with someone like her." his hands slowly unfurl.

There's dead silence.

Ritsu's heart beats loudly in his ears. His gaze is locked safely on his feet.

"Oh my god." Masamune's hand meets his forehead with a slap. "You're a dumbass."

Ritsu's head snaps up at _that_. Outrage boils his blood. "What-!"

"I love _you_ ," Masamune says. It shouldn't be possible to make a declaration of love sound both annoyed and sincere, but somehow he manages it. _"_ Not that girl, not anyone else. _You._ "

Ritsu's eyes widen. He takes a single step back as the force of Masamune's words hit him.

Masamune takes a step forward.

"The _only_ reason that she and I 'have a history', is because _you_ and I had a past. You complete and utter moron!"

Ritsu… has no idea how to respond to that. All he knows is that his cheeks are suddenly _burning_ , and that he is probably gaping like a very unintelligent fish.

But Masamune isn't done with him yet.

"Nothing special?" he spits the words out like they're poisoning him. He closes the distance between them, and grips Ritsu's shoulders firmly, but never enough to actually hurt.

Ritsu's breath catches somewhere in his chest.

"You are _the_ single most important thing that has ever happened to me. And you have been since day one. Nobody, especially not some fling I had years ago, could _ever_ be better than you." Masamune's eyes burn with blazing sincerity.

Ritsu's heart pretty much explodes.

' _I'm an idiot.'_

He opens his mouth, because he has to say something; _anything._ But all that comes out is a breathless sound that is suspiciously similar to a sob. He realizes with dawning horror that his vision is blurry.

"Are you crying?" Masamune's voice is concerned. He squeezes Ritsu's shoulders slightly, and tries to make eye contact.

Ritsu stubbornly refuses. "N-no!" he keeps his gaze firmly on the ground to hide his face.

"Ugh, you're an idiot." Masamune sighs heavily. It sounds amused, and also slightly defeated. "But you're adorable. How the hell did I ever live without you?"

Ritsu sniffs. "You didn't. You slept with girls like Kuri and had Yokozawa baby you."

Masamune winces, then laughs. "Okay, I deserved that one."

Ritsu doesn't disagree.

"However can I earn your forgiveness?" Masamune asks just a bit teasingly.

Ritsu doesn't respond. Instead. He grabs the front of Masamune's jacket to pull him down a little. Because Masamune is way too tall, and Ritsu is _not_ going to stand on his tiptoes.

' _You're already forgiven.'_ is what Ritsu wants to say. He just doesn't know how to do it out loud.

His heart is pounding wildly as he plants a brief kiss on Masamune's lips. He tightens his grip on Masamune's coat when he notices his hands are beginning to shake.

The kiss is almost broken, but Masamune hums in disapproval when he feels Ritsu start to pull away. He wraps an arm around Ritsu's waist and pulls him even closer in order to deepen the kiss.

He doesn't let him go for quite a while.

"Well," Masamune smirks as he takes in Ritsu's appearance, which is more than a little disheveled compared to earlier. "I think we've had enough excitement for one night. At least in public." he leers.

Ritsu's head had been in a daze, but he snaps out of it to glare at his boyfriend. But there's no real malice behind it, and he can tell that his cheeks are glowing traitorously.

"What do you say? Ready to go home?"

Ritsu nods enthusiastically. He'd been ready to leave the second _emotions_ started happening.

Masamune laughs, and Ritsu feels so light he could fly.

They begin walking home, and it takes all of ten seconds before Ritsu feels a hand slip into his own and give a light squeeze.

He blushes, but makes no move to pull away. Instead, he squeezes back.

' _Nobody could ever be better than me, huh? What a load of crap. You've got me beat any day of the week.'_

But there's no way Ritsu's telling _him_ that. The man has a big enough ego already, thank you very much.

They walk the rest of the way back home together, hand in hand; without a care in the world.

* * *

 _These two idiots istg. I love them. Also, I have to go out of town this weekend, so next update might be a little delayed. Sorry!_


	13. In sickness and health (mostly sickness)

_WARNING: This is very bad and cliche. I regret nothing._

* * *

' _You have got to be kidding me.'_

Ritsu Onodera slowly cracks one eye open and winces. His head is _killing_ him. To put it lightly, it felt like someone had decided to attack his skull with a metal baseball bat. Repeatedly.

He could already tell that this was _not_ going to be a good day.

The smell of food cooking drifts through the air. Normally, this would be a pleasant smell, and it would entice Ritsu into finding the energy to leave the bed. But today, it makes his stomach churn violently.

' _Oh god.'_

Ritsu barely makes it to the toilet before the contents of his stomach decide to make a thoroughly unpleasant reappearance. His throat aches painfully.

"Why?" he asks miserably to no one in particular. Once he determines that the bathroom floor is no longer in any danger from his rebellious stomach, he tiredly slumps against the side of the bathtub. The porcelain is alarmingly cold against his forehead.

Looks like he has a fever, too. Great.

"Ritsu! Come on, food's ready." Masamune announces from the kitchen.

Ritsu shivers. His stomach protests threateningly. He does _not_ want food right now.

' _You've got to be kidding me.'_

Today is not going to be a good day.

* * *

Masamune Takano is concerned.

From a distance, everything seems normal. The Emerald Team appears to be running at full speed.

Kisa is typing frantically, while also pausing every thirty seconds to sneak glances at his cell phone.

Hatori is yelling obscenities at his notoriously uncooperative author.

Mino is doing… whatever it is that Mino does.

But his normally overachieving Ritsu is just staring blankly at his computer screen.

Something is wrong.

Masamune isn't sure _what_ the problem is, exactly; but Ritsu has been acting weird all day. He woke up late, he barely ate any breakfast, and he didn't even have any coffee.

Of course, Ritsu is always weird. But when he starts behaving even _more_ strangely than normal, Masamune knows it's time to worry.

"Onodera!" Masamune calls out yet again in an attempt to capture the man's attention.

Ritsu barely reacts. He blinks a few times, before forcing his gaze to focus on Masamune.

Masamune frowns. _'Something is_ really _wrong.'_

Ritsu may space out from time to time, but he's _never_ been so unfocused at work.

Masamune needs to get to the bottom of this.

"Where's your head at today?" he does his best to hide his worry behind sharp words. He expects Ritsu to make some sort of witty retort like he always does.

Instead, Ritsu cringes and seems to curl into himself. "Sorry. I guess I didn't sleep too well last night," he says quietly.

Masamune's frown deepens. Now he feels guilty. How did he not notice this earlier?

' _He does look kind of pale… even for him.'_

Masamune is about to voice his concerns, but he doesn't get the chance.

"Rittie!" Kisa shouts. His eyes are panicked and there's a noticeable tinge of desperation in his voice. "Can you _please_ go make me some copies of this? I was just about to, but I need to contact the author right now!" he holds out a stack of papers pleadingly.

Ritsu nods. "Sure." he stands up quickly. He seems to turn a shade paler, if possible. He squeezes his eyes shut, and presses his palm against his forehead for a brief moment.

Masamune's eyes narrow and uneasiness settles in his stomach when he notices this. He opens his mouth to say something, but Ritsu is already gone.

' _I have a bad feeling about this.'_

But there's nothing Masamune can do about it right now, so he makes himself refocus on his work, and wait patiently for Ritsu to get back from his impromptu mission.

Ten minutes go by.

Ritsu does not return.

Apprehension attacks Masamune full force. ' _He's been gone too long.'_ It doesn't take _that_ long to make copies. He's just about to excuse himself so that he can go search for Ritsu, when the man himself finally wanders back into the office.

"Sorry… sorry it took me so long."

Masamune gets to his feet instantly.

Ritsu had already looked pale earlier, but now he could rival a sheet of paper. His voice is conspicuously shaky, and his eyes are disturbingly unfocused.

"The copy machine was broken so I had to go…" Ritsu's explanation goes unfinished as he trails off. His fingers loosen around the copies he's holding, and they scatter across the floor. His knees buckle, and that's the only warning sign there is before he completely collapses.

Masamune's eyes widen. He's pretty sure his heart stops. It's the only explanation for why he suddenly feels so cold. He rushes forward, and barely manages to catch Ritsu before he hits the ground. His arms automatically cradle the younger man closer to himself.

"Ritsu?!" Masamune's heart is pounding erratically. He's never moved so fast in his _life_. Except maybe that time Ritsu nearly cracked his head open at the library.

Ritsu is totally unresponsive. His head rests against Masamune's chest, but he is unnaturally still.

Masamune's lungs seem to be malfunctioning; he can't quite remember how to breathe. He subconsciously tightens his grip around Ritsu's shoulders.

' _Has he always felt so small?'_

"Is Rittie okay?" Kisa must have gotten up from his desk at some point, because he's suddenly at Masamune's side, staring at Ritsu worriedly.

"I don't know." Masamune answers; and that _terrifies_ him.

' _Please don't do this. Please let him be okay. Please, please, please…'_

"Should we call a doctor?" Hatori asks, and now he's standing as well. His forehead is creased with concern.

Masamune is just about to tell him _'Yes, get an ambulance here, now!'_ when Ritsu groans and his eyes flutter open.

"What… what happened?"

Masamune closes his eyes. _'Thank goodness.'_ He sends his gratitude to anyone who may be listening. Now he can breathe again.

Ritsu notices his and Masamune's new position on the ground. "Uh, why are we on the floor?"

"That's what I'd like to know." Masamune carefully brushes Ritsu's bangs back from where they've fallen into his face. His eyes widen the second his hand meets Ritsu's forehead.

' _He's burning up!'_

Confused green eyes stare up at Masamune.

"Rittie! Are you okay?" Kisa draws Ritsu's attention away. "I'm so sorry! I should have gone to get the copies myself." he frets.

Ritsu smiles reassuringly. "It's okay. I'm fine now." He promises.

' _Liar.'_

Masamune's eyes narrow. But he's spared from having to call his boyfriend's bluff.

Ritsu abruptly freezes in his arms. What little color he'd managed to regain drains from his face. He slaps one hand against his mouth hurriedly and clutches his stomach tightly with the other.

"Ritsu, what's wrong?" Masamune asks worriedly.

Ritsu's eyes dart frantically around. Luckily, at least one person seems to understand what he's looking for.

"Here." Mino passes a trashcan to Masamune not a moment too soon.

Ritsu heaves. Tears well up in the corners of his eyes because they're shut so tight.

Masamune helplessly rubs circles between Ritsu's shoulder blades. He feels _useless_ right now, and it's pissing him off.

When the worst of it finally passes, Ritsu coughs weakly.

Masamune pats his back a few times. "Why didn't you tell me you were sick?" He asks, not bothering to disguise the dismay in his tone.

"Sorry." Ritsu's voice comes out scratchy, so he clears his throat before speaking again. "I didn't want to worry you."

Masamune sighs heavily. _'And you didn't think_ _that overworking yourself until you blacked out would worry me?'_ Honestly, he will never understand Ritsu's logic.

Ritsu succumbs to another coughing fit. Masamune's throat stings in sympathy.

"I'll go get some water." Kisa offers as he stands up.

Masamune nods once in acknowledgment. "And after that, _we_ are going to the doctor." He declares, leaving no room for argument in his tone.

Of course, Ritsu, being the stubborn ass that he is, shakes his head in disagreement. "No, no doctor. I'm fine." he insists.

Masamune feels his eyebrow twitch. "You are most definitely not _fine!_ " His voice is significantly louder than he intended.

Ritsuflinches.

Masamune silently curses himself. "I'm worried about you," he admits, making sure to soften his voice. "You literally just passed out, and then threw up the second you woke up. Plus you're really hot."

Ritsu blinks a few times, before glaring at him flatly. "Is now really the time to be hitting on me?" he sounds unimpressed.

Masamune rolls his eyes and _gently_ flicks Ritsu in the forehead; which is still worryingly warm. "First: it's always a good time to hit on you. Second: I meant that you have a fever, dumbass."

"Oh." Ritsu touches his forehead curiously. "Dammit, still?"

Masamune frowns. " _Still_?" he repeats sternly.

 _What the hell?_

"Are you telling me," Masamune asks carefully, hoping against hope that his boyfriend is not _that_ much of an idiot. That you knew you were ridiculously sick, but you came to work anyway?"

"Um.." Ritsu's awkward stammering, and sudden refusal to meet Masamune's eyes, is answer enough.

Masamune loves Ritsu. But he's gonna kill him.

"Rittie!" Kisa unwittingly becomes Ritsu's new favorite person. He turns the corner of the office and drops to his knees next to Masamune. "Here, take this." he hands Ritsu a bottle of water with the cap already off.

Ritsu smiles gratefully. "Thanks, Kisa." He takes a few sips cautiously, still wary of his stomach.

Hatori crosses his arms over his chest. "Are you sure you're okay now, Onodera? You gave us quite the scare," he asks.

Mino and Kisa both nod in agreement.

"I'll say." Masamune huffs, and subtly squeezes Ritsu to reassure himself.

Color floods Ritsu's cheeks at the onslaught of attention he's now receiving. It's a bit alarming, but a welcome contrast to the deathly pale he had been earlier. And if he happens to vaguely resemble a stop sign now, so be it.

"Thanks everyone. Sorry for making you all worry." Ritsu scratches behind his ear and smiles sheepishly. "I'll get back to work now-"

Irritation and exasperation fuel Masamune's next, slightly less gentle flick of Ritsu's forehead.

' _Idiot.'_

"Like hell you will."

Ritsu covers his abused forehead protectively. His eyes narrow, and his jaw sets stubbornly. It's an expression that's all too familiar.

"Don't look at me like that." Masamune scolds him. "We're going home. And _you_ are going to get some rest if it means I have to strap you to the bed."

Ritsu sputters angrily. Even more color floods his cheeks, and now he's Masamune's favorite shade of red.

"Mr. Takano, please refrain from talking about your and Onodera's private time at work." Hatori requests, his voice monotone.

"Agreed." Kisa exaggerates a look of disgust. It disappears quickly though, and he snickers goodnaturedly at Ritsu's scandalized face.

Mino simply covers his mouth with the back of his hand. It's hard to tell with him, but it kind of looks like he's smiling wider than usual.

"Traitors, all of you." Ritsu declares, hiding his glowing face behind his hands.

"Yes yes, we're all horrible to you." Masamune smiles wryly in amusement.

"Don't patronize me." Ritsu peeks between his fingers to glare at Masamune.

"Don't come to work if you feel so bad you think you'll collapse." Masamune retorts.

Ritsu draws in a breath, but then releases it slowly and pouts when he realizes that he really can't argue.

Masamune only laughs at him a little.

"Fine fine, I get it. I'll go home, geez." Ritsu shakily attempts to get to his feet. The rosy red quickly drains from his face. He manages to stand for all of three seconds until his knees give out on him yet again.

Masamune reflexively catches him. "Hey, hey, be careful." He'll probably be embarrassed about how soft he sounds later, but right now he doesn't give a shit. He wraps an arm around Ritsu's waist to support him.

It's a testament to just how unwell he truly is that Ritsu doesn't even snap at him. Instead, he rewards Masamune with a weary, but grateful smile.

That smile warms Masamune's heart more than he cares to admit.

Or maybe it's the unnatural heat radiating off of Ritsu. Either one is just as likely at this point.

"I think we'll be going for the day," Masamune announces. He's still got some work to do, but it's not that much. He's got more important things to worry about at the moment.

The chorus of Get Well Soons Ritsu is treated to is enough to make the tips of his ears burn.

Masamune is glad they have such a good team.

Ritsu _very_ reluctantly accepts Masamune's help walking out of the office. He may be a pig-headed fool, but even he realizes that his legs are still far too untrustworthy.

Any and all of Masamune's offers to carry him are harshly rejected.

At least until Ritsu falls asleep on the subway.

Masamune can't quite bring himself to wake him. He carefully hoists Ritsu onto his back, and adjusts him to make sure that he won't fall off and hurt himself.

Masamune will tease Ritsu about being heavy later, when the other man is feeling better. Until then though, he contentedly walks home; a concerningly hot forehead pressed against the back of his neck.

Of course, Ritsu's presence has always been undeniably warm; so Masamune doesn't give the fever too much credit.

"Tell me when you're sick next time, okay?" Masamune whispers. He smiles faintly as he recalls a order given to him by a flustered Ritsu. "After all, it would be a pain for me if you died, or something."

Masamune can't see his face, but he thinks Ritsu smiles.

* * *

 _I know it ends kind of suddenly I'm sorry! But I felt like it was starting to drag out. I promise Ritsu's fine; just an overworking idiot who needs to take care of himself more. Masamune didn't let him leave the bed for three days ;)_


	14. A family affair

_Anyone remember like a million years ago when I wrote about Ritsu's parents? Well they're baaaaaccckk! I don't? Know what happened? Or where this came from? I'm n̶o̶t̶ sorry. Also this chapter got s o long I'm sorry._

* * *

Ritsu Onodera would like to state that he had been having a perfectly average day, thank you very much.

He'd woken up, and only after receiving a very _thorough_ good morning from Masamune did he manage to escape the bed and attempt to make them breakfast.

He may or may not have fallen off the counter trying to reach the frying pan. But in his defense, why the hell was the frying pan being kept up so high, anyway!?

He blames Masamune and his damn height.

After they'd arrived at work, Ritsu spent the day giving the entire Emerald department a lecture on the definition of a deadline. Because not a single one of them seemed to understand what one was, or how to get a damn manuscript turned in when said deadline was due.

Like he said, a perfectly average day.

Ritsu should have known _something_ was wrong in the universe. He's not allowed to have average days, apparently. So when his cell phone rings exactly as he steps through his front door, and he sees just _who_ is calling him unexpectedly, all he thinks is _'I knew it!'_

Her voice is just as sweet and earnest as always, but there's something in it that Ritsu knows all too well. "Uh, Rittie?"

It's anxiety. She _never_ sounds anxious. Something's not right.

"An!? What… what a surprise."

Long story short, Ritsu has mixed feelings about his ex "fiancée". And the fact that he had never had any intention of marrying her in the first place certainly does not make things any easier.

"Thank goodness! I wasn't sure you would pick up."

' _I almost didn't.'_

Ritsu hopes the awkward laugh he lets out doesn't sound guilty. "It's good to hear from you. How have you been?" A genuine smile appears on his face.

What? Just because he didn't want to marry her doesn't mean he doesn't _like_ her. You know, as an important childhood friend.

An sighs, and Ritsu feels his smile fade slightly.

"Is everything okay?"

There's an uncomfortably long pause before An responds. "Rittie, when's the last time you spoke to your parents?" she asks suddenly.

Ritsu almost drops his phone. "Uh... It's been a while."

' _That's an understatement.'_ Ritsu hasn't spoken to either of his parents since they inadvertently found out that he was in a happy, loving relationship. With a man.

Aia and Takao Onodera had _not_ beenthrilled.

"W-why do you ask?"

An takes a deep breath as if steeling herself for something.

Confusion and dread weigh heavily in Ritsu's stomach.

"They called me earlier. They were asking if I had any ideas for our wedding date."

Ritsu drops his phone.

' _What the hell?'_

Let's list some facts: Ritsu is dating Masamune. His parents, for better or for worse, (hint: it's for the worst.) _know_ that he is dating Masamune. And yet they still contacted his friend to harass her about a wedding that is _not going to happen_.

Ritsu's stomach hurts.

"Rittie?" An's voice calls worriedly.

Ritsu quickly grabs his phone and brings it back to his ear. "Sorry, I dropped my phone," he explains. "What… what did you tell them?" His fingers tighten around his phone.

"I told them that we weren't getting married of course." An reassures him. "Since there's no way I could ever win against that person you've been in love with since junior high."

Ritsu's cheeks heat up, and he almost drops his phone again.

' _She actually told them that!?'_ His respect for An increases significantly.

"But they were being really persistent. I think they might be heading to your apartment. They tried to get me to go with them."

That's it. Ritsu's moving out; immediately.

' _What do they want? I have nothing to say to them.'_ He scowls in frustration, but he's honestly not that surprised. This is exactly the kind of stunt he would expect from his mother.

"I'm sorry you got dragged back into this, An." Ritsu rubs his forehead briefly. For some reason, now he has a headache. "Thank you for letting me know."

"Always, Rittie." An promises. "Are you going to be okay?"

' _Probably not.'_

"Of course."

There's no need to involve An any further in this mess. Nobody should be subjected to dealing with his family more than they _absolutely_ have to.

"Right then." An says slowly; because she is not an idiot, and doesn't believe Ritsu for one second. But she's also known him long enough to understand when he wants to deal with things on his own.

Ritsu's said it before but he'll say it again: An has always been, and always will be, far too good for him.

"Can I just ask you one thing?" An requests hesitantly.

"Sure. What is it?" Ritsu owes her that much, at least.

"Are you happy? With him?"

Ritsu's eyes widen, and his cheeks heat up again. He certainly hadn't been expecting _that,_ but he doesn't hesitate when he replies, "Yes. I am."

"I see."

The defeat in An's voice makes Ritsu want to apologize. He knows it wouldn't be very appreciated though, so he keeps his mouth shut.

"Then I'm glad. That's all that matters." An's tone is back to being cheerful. "Good luck with your parents."

Ritsu has a feeling he's going to need a lot more than just luck. "Thank you, An."

An ends the call, and Ritsu just hopes that she can tell that he's thanking her _everything_ , not just the warning.

Ritsu's eyes drift to an empty coffee mug sitting inconspicuously on the living room 'sMasamune's. Because as much as he picks on Ritsu for his tendency to never clean up after himself, _he's_ the one with a terrible habit of leaving coffee cups anywhere and everywhere.

' _I guess I should tell Masamune to stay away from the house for a while.'_ He sends a text and prays that for _once_ Masamune actually checks the messages on his phone.

 _I think my parents are on their way here. Please don't come home until I can get rid of them._

Barely thirty seconds pass, however, before Ritsu's cell phone alerts him of an incoming notification.

 _As if. I'm on my way._

Only six words, but Ritsu feels the nervousness in his stomach ease slightly. He can't even pretend to be irritated with Masamune's blatant overprotectiveness.

Ritsu will deny this later, but he gets so distracted staring at the message on his screen that he loses track of time, and almost doesn't hear the doorbell ring.

Ritsu's heart skips a beat. _'They're here already?!'_ He suddenly feels very cold.

The doorbell rings again.

Ritsu was _not_ mentally prepared! He doesn't know what to do. Maybe he can pretend he's not home? No, that's stupid.

Apparently giving up on the doorbell, loud knocking can be heard instead.

' _I guess I have to answer the door.'_ Ritsu ignores the not so small part of him that wants to run away via the fire escape. Slowly, _very_ slowly, he approaches the door and turns the handle. The door opens slightly, but he makes sure there's not enough room for anyone to enter or exit.

"Ritsu, hello dear." Aia Onodera smiles oh-so-charmingly from the hallway. She's clearly decided pretend that their last meeting never happened.

Ritsu has no desire to play along. "Mother," he says flatly. He can still remember the sting on his cheek from when she slapped him. "What a surprise."

' _Aren't surprises supposed to be pleasant?'_

'Is that how you greet your mother after you haven't seen her in so long?" Takao Onodera demands, crossing his arms over his chest.

' _It hasn't been nearly long enough.'_

Ritsu bites his tongue to keep himself from voicing his true thoughts. "Sorry, but I wasn't exactly expecting company. I was actually just on my way out."

His mother's eyes narrow slightly, but then in an instant, the bright smile is back on her face. "Then we won't take too much of your time. May we come in?" she asks, but it's clear that it's not really a question.

' _No way in hell.'_ Ritsu fights off the strongurge to shut the door and lock it behind him. Against all of his better judgment, he wordlessly opens the door wider to let them pass.

"Sure. But my boyfriend," he emphasizes the word, and takes no small amount of pleasure from the discomfort that briefly contorts both of his parents' expressions. "is on his way home and we have plans."

"Of course." Aia agrees quickly "We just wanted a quick visit." She's got that look on her face. The one that always means she's lying through her teeth.

' _This is a bad idea.'_ Ritsu thinks as he steps away from the door and leads his parents to the living room. But as usual, he doesn't really have much of a choice.

"Would you like some tea?" He asks listlessly, and only out of habit. He pointedly does not invite them to sit.

"No thank you." Takao denies stiffly. He seems _almost_ as uncomfortable with this situation as Ritsu if that were possible.

"Thank you, but I think it's best we just get straight to the point." His mother finally drops her plastic smile. "Don't you agree?"

"Right." Ritsu has never agreed with anything less in his entire life.

"Your father and I have talked extensively about this," Aia informs him solemnly.

' _Translation:_ you _talked about this and he went along with it so you wouldn't throw a fit.'_

"And we think it's about time for you to end your childish rebellious phase and come home."

 _Home?_

Ritsu may have lived there at one point, but that cold, empty place that always swallowed his voice was _never_ a home to him.

"You're plenty old enough now to start seriously thinking about taking over the company." Takao declares pompously.

' _Haven't we had this conversation before?'_ Indeed, Ritsu's lost count of how many times he's specifically said that he _doesn't_ want to inherit Onodera Publishing.

"I don't-"

"You are an adult now. There's no excuse for this insubordinate behavior anymore." His mother cuts him off sharply. "You need to start acting like an Onodera."

Ritsu flinches. He's twenty-five years old, but right now he feels like a scolded child. "Mother, please don't start this again." He says desperately. Despite everything, he doesn't want to fight with his parents. But why can't they just _listen_ to him for once?

Aia narrows her eyes warningly. "Don't you take that tone with me. I just want what's best for you."

' _What's "best for me", is parents that actually give a shit about my happiness instead of their reputation.'_ He thinks bitterly.

His father scowls. "When you first told me you were leaving Onodera Publishing for Marukawa, I thought for sure that I was having an unpleasant dream. I couldn't fathom another reason you would do something so unthinkably stupid."

The air leaves Ritsu's lungs in a rush.

"I had Mr. Isaka place you in the shojo manga department because I hoped it would help you return to your senses and realize the correct path. I don't understand why you insist on being so stubborn." Takao glares, and shakes his head in disappointment.

Ritsu's chest feels far too constricted to be healthy. He hates himself for feeling so shocked. He had _known_ that his father was somewhat involved in his seemingly random transfer from literature to manga, but it looks like a small part of him had still been in denial.

' _Where the heck is Masamune?'_ Ritsu can't even bring himself to be embarrassed about how much he wishes he wasn't alone right now.

It's a little scary how at that exact moment the door swings open.

Ritsu would almost suspect that Masamune is capable of reading his thoughts, what with the way his timing can either be perfect or devastating. But it's more likely that since he had driven them to work in his car today, he didn't have to wait for the subway.

"You." Aia instantly sneers as Masamune joins them in the living room.

"Me." Masamune agrees coldly.

The tightness in Ritsu's chest eases just a little, and now he can actually breathe.

Takao frowns as if he's just smelled something unsavory. "Excuse me. Could you please leave? We're in the middle of a rather important discussion, and it's really more of a family matter." he says condescendingly.

' _No!'_ Panic sweeps through Ritsu at the thought of being left alone with his parents _again._

Masamune scoffs. "Sorry," he says dryly. "But I'm not going anywhere unless Ritsu tells me to."

Now Ritsu's chest feels tight for a different reason. "He's staying." His voice comes out slightly shaky. He impulsively walks to stand next to Masamune and gives his hand a quick squeeze of gratitude.

Masamune squeezes back briefly before he lets go. "Are you okay?" he asks, keeping his voice low enough so that only Ritsu can hear him.

"Yeah." Ritsu smiles, and it's only _slightly_ forced.

His mother tsks, and Ritsu's shoulders tense at the sound. "How sweet. But you do realize that Ritsu is engaged, right?" she asks, contempt dripping from her tone.

Ritsu's cheeks burn with anger and mortification. "Why do you insist on calling her that? I _never_ agreed to marry her," he says for what must be the millionth time in his life.

"This is exactly the kind of unreasonable behavior your father and I cannot tolerate anymore." His mother states icily. "Why on earth do you not want to settle down? An is perfect, and she is sensible enough to know that you two are meant to be together."

' _And somehow, it always comes back to this.'_ Ritsu has had enough. Normally he would freeze up, and let his parents belittle him like a kid. But with Masamune next to him, he feels braver than he ever has. That's the only reason he's able to gather his courage for what he's about to do.

"No." Ritsu clenches his fists so that no one can see his hands shaking. "I don't want to argue, but I can't do this anymore."

"Do what?" His father snaps.

"Any of this." Somewhere inside Ritsu, a dam bursts. "You're _wrong_. About An. And Masamune. And especially me."

Masamune places a hand on his shoulder in a very much needed show of support.

Aia looks as if she wants to interject, but she's done more than enough of that for one day.

"I am not some… perfect doll you can do whatever the hell you want with. You can't decide my life, and you can't decide who I marry." Words normally don't like to cooperate with Ritsu, but they come easily this time. Perhaps because this is something he's wanted to say for a very long time.

"How dare you-" Takao starts, but Ritsu's on a roll, he can't stop now.

"An and I are _friends._ That's it. She knows that I never planned on going through with the engagement. And she's okay with it. Because I'm _happy._ " He hears a sharp inhale come from Masamune. He almost turns around. Almost.

' _So, so incredibly happy.'_

"Does that mean _anything_ to you at all?"

Silence. Deafening silence.

' _I didn't think so.'_ Ritsu's heart breaks in two.

"Of course it does," Aia says belatedly. But that one look is back on her face. She's lying.

Ritsu shouldn't be so surprised. But it still hurts. "Please go." Even he thinks his voice sounds hollow.

"Son, please-" his father pleads.

Ritsu's eyes start to burn. "Don't call me that. You don't even see me as a _person._ Let alone your son. I'm more than just your figurehead. And if you can't accept that, then I'm done being an Onodera." his breath catches in his throat at those last words. He hadn't meant to say them, but he won't take them back.

"Ritsu…" His mother whispers.

Ritsu just shakes his head. If he opens his mouth, he doesn't know what will happen. So he keeps it closed just in case.

Masamune's hand slides from his shoulder gently, and he steps in front of Ritsu; as if to shield him from his parents. "I believe he asked you to leave." He says firmly.

"You insolent-" Takao scowls, and looks as if he wants to fight. He starts forward but freezes the moment Aia grabs his bicep.

"Stop. It's Okay." Nothing about this is okay. "Clearly we all need some time to… cool our heads. We'll excuse ourselves then." It's impossible to decipher what emotion is in her voice.

Masamune nods.

Takao furrows his eyebrows in confusion, but he goes along willingly enough as he is dragged to the door.

Aia pauses in the doorway and sends one last cryptic look over her shoulder at Ritsu. She opens her mouth, but whatever she had planned to say never escapes her lips. She shakes her head, and the door closes behind them with a soft _click._

' _Finally.'_ Ritsu's back roughly meets the wall. He lets out a deep sigh, and all the tension leaves his body at once. He sinks until he ends up sitting on the floor. _'That went just as well as I expected.'_

Masamune kneels down next to him without hesitation. "Are you okay?" he asks, but his tone makes it clear that he already knows the answer.

Ritsu nearly chokes on a laugh. Or maybe it's a sob. Who knows? "I don't think so." He slumps forward until his head lands on a warm chest.

Masamune's arms are around him in the blink of an eye.

"Thanks." Ritsu's voice is uncharacteristically gravely. He breathes in, greedily taking in the scent of cigarette smoke and _Masamune_ until his lungs hurt.

"I'm sorry." Masamune apologizes randomly, pressing his lips to the side of Ritsu's head softly.

Ritsu frowns. "What for?" his question is muffled by Masamune's shirt.

"That you have even shittier parents than I do."

Taken by surprise, Ritsu laughs weakly. "Wow. Have I finally graduated from being a spoiled rich kid?" His voice does _not_ break. (Yes it does.)

Masamune doesn't answer. Instead, he just tightens his hold on Ritsu and brings one hand up to tangle in his hair comfortingly.

The space behind Ritsu's eyes aches. "I'm tired." He confesses. It's a massive understatement, but he's not good enough with words to describe the _heaviness_ that's weighing down on him.

"I know." Masamune strokes Ritsu's hair gently.

Ritsu buries his face further into Masamune's chest. He's still not so vaguely in shock from the day's events.

On one hand: now he doesn't have to deal with the overwhelming anxiety coupled with his parent's expectations of him every single day of his life.

On the other hand: he may or may not have just irreversibly exiled himself from his family.

It's all confusing and painful and _exhausting._ But now Ritsu knows for certain that if his parents ever truly forced him to choose between them and Masamune, it wouldn't be a difficult choice. Honestly, a small part of him acknowledges that Masamune may be only one in the world that he considers family anymore. It doesn't sadden him as much as he expects.

' _At least I still have you.'_

Ritsu will have to apologize for ruining Masamune's shirt with salty tears later.

* * *

 _Lol._

 _P.s. Next chapter will feature a surprise guest! (And a terrible pun.) Cookies to anyone that guesses who correctly! ;)_


	15. Taking awkward to a new level! (Or not)

Ritsu Onodera was currently in quite the predicament, and there is only one thing he would like to make absolutely, perfectly clear: this was all Masamune's fault!

' _He could have sent_ anyone _to deliver the damn manuscripts to the printers but nnooo, it just_ had _to be me.'_

Okay fine, Ritsu will admit that this ordeal isn't _totally_ because of Masamune, but he's the one that's getting blamed for it, so too bad. He's willing to bet that if Kisa, Hatori, or Mino had been sent instead, they would have been just fine. But of course, because it's _him_ , and since he has such _wonderful_ luck, he has to deal with…

Takafumi Yokozawa scoffs distastefully as he steps into the elevator.

' _I knew I should have taken the stairs,'_ Ritsu thinks forlornly. He makes a silent vow to never let laziness dictate his decisions ever again.

"Of course I had to run into _you_ of all people so early in the morning."

"Sorry." Ritsu apologizes out of habit, even though it's hardly _his_ fault that they are being forced to interact. If it were up to him, he'd only have to see Yokozawa's face once a millennium. "Good… good morning."

Yokozawa raises an eyebrow, clearly unimpressed with the weak greeting, and doesn't bother returning it.

Ritsu mentally sighs in defeat. He had thought that they were past all of this _awkwardness_ between them, but that's clearly not the case. The elevator doors slide close with a silent thud, and he tries not to feel like he's just been sealed into his tomb. "First floor?" he asks, needing to do _something_ to prevent the oppressive silence that will inevitably fall over them.

Yokozawa sighs long-sufferingly. "Where else would I be going?" He asks sardonically.

"Right." Ritsu gives up and despairingly lets the oppressive silence win.

' _Please please please just hurry up and get me out of here,'_ he begs the elevator. Traitorously, the elevator does not instantly teleport them to the first floor. In fact, it actually seems to _slow down._

Wait a minute… it _is_ slowing down!

"Hey," Yokozawa scowls, startling Ritsu out of his private conversation with the elevator. "What the hell is wrong with this thing?" The elevator shakes slightly as if insulted by his rude question.

' _Oh no.'_ So it _wasn't_ just Ritsu's imagination. His pulse quickens and he nearly loses his balance as the elevator lags even further and shudders slightly.

Yokozawa curses and instinctively places a steadying hand on Ritsu's shoulder. It's hard to tell which one of them is more surprised.

The elevator, along with Ritsu's heart, screeches to a halt.

' _Oh no.'_

Yokozawa removes his hand from Ritsu's shoulder quickly. "You okay?" He asks gruffly.

"I'm fine." Ritsu wills his heartbeat to return to a less concerning rhythm.

"Good. Because it looks like we may be stuck here for a while."

Ritsu wants to scream. "Perfect."

' _I just wanted to deliver some manuscripts, dammit!'_

Masamune is definitely sleeping on the couch tonight.

* * *

Ritsu is a calm, rational adult. He goes to work, pays his bills, etc. No matter what the situation, he can and will handle any unexpected curveballs life decides to throw at him with endless maturity and sophistication. He can certainly deal with something as mundane as being stuck in an elevator for twenty minutes.

 _Not._

' _Don't freak out, don't freak out, do_ not _freak out!'_ Ritsu commands himself firmly, as he freaks out.

Here's the thing: he wouldn't exactly classify himself as _claustrophobic,_ per se, but he _hates, hates, hates_ confined spaces with a burning passion.

"What the hell's your problem?" Yokozawa asks, annoyance coloring his tone. His eyes had been closed, but be cracks one open to stare peevishly. He couldn't appear more bored if he tried. His arms are crossed over his chest, and he's leaning against the wall casually. Until a moment ago, he'd looked like he'd fallen asleep.

Ritsu hates him just a little bit for managing to seem so relaxed. "It's nothing. I'm just… not a fan of small spaces," he confesses.

"Oh. That sucks."

' _Thank you so much for that valuable input.'_ Ritsu can truly feel the sympathy being directed his way. But that's fine, it's not like he wants Yokozawa's pity or anything. What he _wants_ is to get off of this damn elevator _right now._

But that doesn't seem likely.

"I'm sure that somebody's already complained to maintenance about the elevator being stuck, so hopefully they'll try to fix this thing quickly," Yokozawa says with all the emotion as someone reciting a particularly uninteresting script.

Ritsu's panic abates slightly, in favor of being replaced by confusion. _'Is he… trying to make me feel better?'_ Maybe the elevator had taken them to some alternate dimension.

Yokozawa huffs at Ritsu's baffled expression. "What? You looked like you were about to pass out. And just for the record, I don't want to be stuck here any more than you do."

' _And, he's back to normal.'_

Yokozawa's surly attitude is a bit disheartening, but at least it's predictable. The idea of himtrying to be _nice_ , however, is decidedly unnerving.

' _I wish Masamune was here.'_ Ritsu banishes that intrusive thought away the second it floats through his mind. Masamune is the one that got him into this mess in the first place!

Well, not really, but it's the principle of the thing.

Irritated as he may be though, Ritsu knows that he needs to inform his boss about the manuscripts being delayed. He just hopes there's enough signal for his phone to send a message.

 _11:43 AM_

 _Tell the printers the manuscripts are going to be a little late. I got stuck in the elevator._

 _11:43 AM_

 _With Yokozawa._

 _11:44 AM_

 _In case you were wondering, he still hates me._

Masamune replies suspiciously quickly. Ritsu makes a mental note to scold him for checking his cell phone at work later.

 _11:44 AM_

 _How the hell did you manage that? The printers will get over it. And Yokozawa does not hate you._

 _11:45 AM_

 _Okay, maybe he does hate you a little._

 _11:45 AM_

 _Wow, you are so helpful._

 _11:46 AM_

 _I try._

Ritsu tightens his grip on his phone so much that it almost snaps in two. Dating or not, that jerk _really_ likes to test his patience.

Yokozawa snorts. "Talking to Masamune?" he asks knowingly.

Ritsu snaps his phone shut with a rush of satisfaction, and pointedly ignores his rapidly heating cheeks. "Was it that obvious?" He braces himself for some scathing response.

But Yokozawa merely shakes his head. "No. I'm just painfully familiar with the expression of someone who has to put up with Masamune Takano being a smartass."

' _Oh, that's right.'_ With how much Ritsu actively tries to avoid him, he forgets that Yokozawa has been Masamune's best, and possibly only friend, for a number of years.

"How's he doing, by the way?"

"He's fine." Ritsu is helpless to the small smile that breaks out across his face. "Sarcastic and disagreeable as always, but fine."

"I see. Well, that definitely sounds like him at least." Yokozawa laughs, and it seems to startle him more than Ritsu.

' _This is weird.'_ Ritsu and Yokozawa have been imprisoned for nearly half an hour now, and it's officially the longest time they've ever been alone together. Perhaps they're finally making some progress?

"You know, there's something I've been meaning to ask you." Yokozawa straightens up and stares at Ritsu with a curious glint in his eyes.

Ritsu hums questioningly, wariness creeping into his stomach.

"It's not like this changes anything," Yokozawa informs him matter-of-factly, "but when you were always going on and on about how you got hurt when the two of you broke up in high school, what did you mean?"

Ritsu's eyes widen. An invisible fist closes around his heart and threatens to crush it. "Why do you… Where the hell did that come from?" He demands in bewilderment.

Yokozawa just shrugs. "I'm just curious," is all he says in explanation.

It's not a very compelling argument.

"Um…" Ritsu stammers awkwardly. He doesn't want to sound rude or anything, but if there was anyone he would willingly spill his heart out to regarding his and Masamune's… "misunderstanding", ten years ago, it certainly wouldn't be _Yokozawa._

Yokozawa, clearly not bothered by Ritsu's obvious discomfort in the slightest, furrows his eyebrows and stares expectantly.

' _I don't have a choice, do I?'_ Ritsu silently sighs in defeat and roughly brushes his hand through his hair.

"Fine. But it's stupid," he warns, hoping against hope that Yokozawa will take the hint and spare him from having to relive one of the most painful moments of his life.

Yokozawa does not comply.

' _Damn it all.'_ Ritsu gives up and lets his back hit the wall, and slides down until he is sitting on the floor.

Yokozawa copies him, although in a far more fluid manner. For someone who is often compared to a bear, he is surprisingly graceful.

Ritsu begins, and his eyes drift closed without waiting for his approval. "We'd been going out for a little while." He opens his eyes again, and for just a second, the constricted space around him is transformed into the distant memory of his beloved _Saga Senpai's_ bedroom. But then he blinks, and it's gone. "A few weeks, maybe a month?" I can't remember." His throat is suspiciously dry.

Yokozawa's nod to acknowledge that he's paying attention almost goes unnoticed.

"He was always so closed off back then," Ritsu remembers. "It was so hard to tell what he was thinking. I couldn't even tell if he really liked me. So one day, I asked him."

' _Senpai, do you feel anything for me?'_

That unseen hand squeezes his heart a little more tightly. "He laughed at me." His eyes burn, so he blinks rapidly until they stop.

Yokozawa's eyes widen in genuine shock. But that's to be expected, considering that even Masamune hadn't remembered that particular detail until recently as well.

"So I kicked him and ran away. I didn't meet him again for ten years until I started working here." Ritsu recalls the shock he felt when he realized what _Saga_ and _Takano_ had in common.

"Wow." Yokozawa whistles lowly, snapping Ritsu out of his daydreaming. "Really?" It's hard to decipher the emotion on his face.

Ritsu nods solemnly.

Yokozawa scowls, and now it's all too easy to tell that he is furious. "That bastard, I'm gonna kick his ass," he declares angrily.

' _Wait, what?'_ Ritsu is severely confused.

"That moron never told me that part. He just made it seem like you dumped him for no reason whatsoever." Yokozawa sounds utterly pissed.

' _Oh.'_ Ritsu is slightly less confused now. He gets to his feet and prepares to explain that he no longer blames Masamune _that_ much. That both of them had been even younger and stupider back then than they were now, and that they've pretty much gotten past the whole issue.

The elevator, however, has other plans.

"What the-" Ritsu's stomach drops slightly, and he nearly earns himself a nice concussion as the elevator suddenly jerks and starts descending.

"We're moving?" Yokozawa stands as well. The two of them wait with baited breath as they _finally_ make it to the first floor. The elevator comes to a stop, and the doors slide open with a _ding_ that sounds as mocking as a machine is capable of sounding.

"There you are." One Masamune Takano is revealed. His tone is serious, but the way his lips are quirked betrays his amusement.

"Masamune!" Ritsu and Yokozawa call out in unison. They both freeze, and share a surprised and vaguely uncomfortable look.

Masamune laughs at their almost matching expressions, and doesn't even try to hide it; the jerk.

Yokozawa recovers first and frowns unhappily. "Masamune, you and I are having words later," he promises, stepping out of the elevator and poking Masamune in the chest as he passes him.

Ritsu waits for the expected stab of jealousy to hit his stomach. But much to his pleasant surprise, it never comes.

"What?" Masamune raises his eyebrows incredulously. "What did I do now?"

"Later," Yokozawa says irritably. "Right now I have to go catch up on work. This little misadventure has set me behind schedule," he fumes.

Ritsu pities the Sales Team and all of the blank documents that had dared not to fill themselves out in Yokozawa's absence.

"Hey-"

"And Onodera?" Yokozawa completely ignores an indignant Masamune.

"Yes, sir?" Ritsu braces himself for a final barbed comment.

But Yokozawa is just full of surprises today, it seems. "You're not so bad." His mouth twitches a bit before he rounds the corner and disappears from sight.

Ritsu is utterly perplexed. It was hardly a compliment, but coming from _Yokozawa_ , it was pretty much holy praise.

"See," Masamune breaks him out of his gaping. "I told you he didn't hate you," he says smugly, mussing Ritsu's hair into disarray.

Ritsu shouts in protest and smacks the hand away. "Whatever. I'm leaving. I still have to go drop these damn papers off," he grumbles.

"Alright then. Be sure to take the stairs, okay?" The only way to describe the wide grin on Masamune's face is shit-eating.

' _This guy!'_ Ritsu takes a few deep breaths to try and stop himself from following through with his impulse to punch his boyfriend. Besides, Yokozawa will probably do that for him later, anyway.

But still… "Masamune," Ritsu says carefully, drawing out the syllables slowly.

"Huh?"

"You are sleeping on the couch tonight," Ritsu announces coldly, turning around and walking towards the main front doors.

"What, why!?"

Ritsu doesn't hide his smirk at Masamune's outraged yelling as the doors close behind him.

* * *

 _My brain, the entire time I'm writing this: Two bros, chillin' on an elevator, five feet apart because they hate each other and they're both gay!_


	16. Of bitchy mothers and men

_Ring. Ring. Ring._

Masamune Takano's phone rings and ruins his focus for what has to be the third time in as few minutes. _'Again?'_ His eyebrow twitches in irritation. He's honestly getting ready to chuck the device out the nearest window.

"What does she _want_?" He hisses under his breath. The woman persistently contacting him _knows_ that he has absolutely no desire to speak with her. He'd told her as much, but clearly, she does not care.

Which isn't too surprising; she never had cared much for his wishes, after all.

"-kano. Takano!"

Masamune sighs at the familiar voice that cuts through his thoughts, and has no problem ignoring his phone in favor of directing his attention to look at his much more appealing boyfriend.

Ritsu frowns. Clearly, he does not share the sentiment. "If you're going to continue receiving personal calls at work, at least put your phone on silent," he says peevishly.

' _Well well, look who's getting bold.'_

Masamune allows a smile to flicker across his face. He has a certain hobby you see, and Ritsu has just given him the perfect opportunity to indulge in it. "Oh, and why should I do that?"

Ritsu; naive, sweet, workaholic Ritsu, is adamant about keeping "professional distance" between the two of them while they're at work.

Masamune is adamant about _not_ keeping "professional distance".

It's quite enjoyable making his dear Ritsu lose his oh-so-strict composure at places other than home. It's his own fault, really. He's just far too enticing when he's flustered. Case in point…

"Because it's annoying," Ritsu snaps sternly, but his face is traitorously turning a conspicuous red.

' _Way too easy.'_ Masamune carefully keeps his expression as neutral as possible.

"Could it be that you're jealous?"

" _What_?" Predictably, Ritsu's eyes widen before narrowing warningly. "Of course not!"

"I understand," Masamune continues as if he hadn't heard anything. " But I promise, no matter how many admirers I have, my heart will always belong only to you."

Ritsu's face turns even redder, and he sputters incoherently for e few moments.

"Wow." Kisa snickers openly. "How romantic."

This causes the entire Emerald Team to break into laughter, sans Ritsu of course.

Masamune finally cracks, and he laughs the hardest of all. He greatly appreciates the fact that everyone seems to mutually find amusement in teasing his boyfriend. He knows when enough is enough though, and he doesn't want to risk getting banished to the couch again, so he gets back to work.

Masamune's cell phone's repeated ringing goes completely forgotten; along with the words on its screen that make his stomach churn.

 _Missed calls: 18_

* * *

 _'I'm. So. Tired.'_

Ritsu Onodera wearily rubs his eyes. He's exhausted, but right now he has one objective, and one objective only: to take a bath before Masamune gets home. Time is of the essence!

Okay, that all seems a little overdramatic, but there's a good reason. You see, every once in a while, _(translation: far more often than he will ever admit)_ , Masamune uses… advanced persuasive tactics, in order to coerce Ritsu into letting them bathe together. Usually, he doesn't mind too terribly much. But today Masamune pissed him off, so it's not happening.

' _Serves that jerk right,'_ he thinks pettily. Now if you'll excuse him, he has a nice, relaxing bath to take. Alone!

"Excuse me."

Ritsu isn't really paying attention, so it takes him a few moments to realize that the clipped voice that he heard is speaking to _him._

"Excuse me," the voice says again after failing to receive a response. It sounds notably more irritated now.

' _Please don't.'_ Ritsu stifles a groan. He _really_ doesn't want to interact with anyone right now. But curse his manners, he doesn't have a choice.

"Hello. Is there something I can help you with?" He plasters a smile on his face and turns to see who the hell wants to talk to him so badly.

It's a woman. Ritsu's not a good judge of age, but she looks as if she's in her late forties. Her hair is brown, and stick straight. The suit she's wearing is impressively pristine, like it's never been worn before. She also looks familiar for some reason, but Ritsu can't quite put his finger on who she reminds him of.

"I'm looking for my son," she announces, and Ritsu feels another stab of recognition when he sees her hazel eyes. "I know that he lives in this building. Can you direct me to the elevators?" Her voice is all cool professionalism. It's clear that this woman is used to getting what she wants.

"Sure." Ritsu nods. It's a simple enough request, but he does think it's a little weird that her son didn't come to get her himself. And he still can't shake the nagging suspicion that he knows this woman. "They're right this way."

"Thank you," she says curtly, following him around the corner to the elevators. "Honestly, that boy has no manners," she frowns as she hits the button to summon the elevator.

Ritsu is severely confused until he realizes that she's talking about her son. He really doesn't know how to respond to that, but luckily the arrival of the elevator saves him. The doors close behind them silently. "Do you know what floor he lives on?"

The woman nods. "I believe his apartment is on the fifteenth floor.

' _No way.'_

"Really? That's where I live too." Ritsu smiles politely. "I just got here from work, so this was really perfect timing. I was going there now," he says as he pushes the button that will take them to the desired floor.

"I see. What a coincidence." Her tone does not betray any surprise. "What is it exactly that you do for work?"

"Well…" Ritsu hides his grimace. "I used to be a literature editor, but due to certain circumstances, I ended up transferring. Don't ask me how, but I somehow ended up becoming a shoujo manga editor." Yeah, he still isn't quite used to having to explain that yet.

"Shoujo manga?" The woman repeats skeptically.

"Yes ma'am," Ritsu nods.

"What a juvenile genre."

The dismissive haughtiness in that statement takes Ritsu aback. Sure, manga was definitely not his first choice, but he likes his job quite a bit, thank you very much; people he doesn't know insulting it does not sit well with him.

The elevator stops, and the doors open. She steps off first, and Ritsu follows; keeping a bit more distance between them now. He kind of hopes that she'll start walking in the other direction now, but of course she falls into step with him, and they walk down the hallway together.

' _I guess her son's apartment is this way too. How lucky.'_ Ritsu sneaks a glance at her out of the corner of his eye. Her eyebrows are furrowed on thought, and her hazel eyes are distant. The expression makes his heart jump because he's seen it before. He _knows_ this woman; he just can't figure out how. _'I'm acting ridiculous. I've never met her in my life.'_

Ritsu is ready to pass this whole strange experience off as his tired mind playing tricks on him when he comes to a stop outside the front of his apartment.

But then the woman stops as well.

"Um, did you still need help?" Ritsu definitely has no desire to provide any further assistance to this rude, and awfully familiar woman, but again: manners.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you for taking me all this way. You can go home now." She nods once stiffly. "This is his place, so I'll just stay here and wait for him to get home," she says matter-of-factly.

Ritsu hesitates and tries to think of a nice way to explain that this is _his_ house; that she has the wrong address, when suddenly a puzzle piece falls into place in his mind.

' _No way.'_ His stomach weighs heavily with suspicion, and he thinks he's finally realized who this woman is. But he asks anyway, just to make sure.

"Um, if you don't mind me asking, exactly what is your son's name?"

The answer is already painfully obvious to him though, and now the only thing he can't figure out is how the hell it took him so long to put it together. Those hazel eyes, and that far away expression? He felt like he has seen them before because he _had_ seen them before; just on a different face.

"Well, I suppose he goes by Takano now, but it really should be Saga," the woman states grudgingly. "His given name is Masamune."

Any doubts Ritsu had left over are blown away with a force that leaves him feeling lightheaded.

"Why, do you know him?" She asks sharply.

' _Yeah, you could say that.'_ They know each other _quite_ intimately at this point, but like hell is he about to explain that to her.

Masamune's _mother._

Yeah, he needs a second to process that.

From what Masamune has told him about her, which is not very much, he has the vague feeling that he should run away as fast as he can.

Strangely, rather than panicking, Ritsu's first thought is more along the lines of _Well, there goes my bath._

What a shame. It had sounded so nice too.

* * *

There isn't exactly a protocol for dealing with this type of situation; so Ritsu does what any rational person would do when faced with the somewhat rude mother of the man you're in love with ends up quite literally at your doorstep.

"Would you like some tea, or maybe coffee?"

Okay, so that probably _wasn't_ the best option, but cut him a break! He doesn't know what else to do.

"No." The woman, whose name is apparently Kotoko, says firmly from where she's currently sitting primly on the couch. "I would like to know why you have a key to my son's apartment."

It's the second time he's been asked about that, and Ritsu still does not have an acceptable answer to give her.

 _I'm dating your son, and we've been living together for a long time. Which is something you would know if you'd_ ever _bothered to visit him?_

Strangely it doesn't seem like that explanation would go over very well. But It's the truth at least, and a tinge of bitterness fills him on Masamune's behalf.

' _I need to warn him.'_

Masamune has never spoken about his parents much, except for in throwaway lines that had painted a grim picture of his less than ideal childhood.

But Ritsu vividly remembers one instance in which a rare exception had been made: when his apparently not biological father had passed away. His expression had been… awful. Lost, betrayed, hurt. He'll be damned if he lets anyone make Masamune feel like that ever again. Even if it's his own mother.

"I… I'm not the right person to explain that to you. He's the one you should ask. But with all due respect, I think it would be best if you waited, and maybe you should leave, and come back another time. I don't think Masamune knows you're here and-"

Kotoko stands abruptly, and her previously calm and detached features are now twisted with fury. " _Excuse me?_ "

Ritsu flinches. "I just meant-"

"How dare you speak to me like that. I don't know who you think you are, but you have no right to tell me when to leave my own son's home," she says icily.

Ritsu shivers and holds his hands up in a gesture of peace. "Ma'am please, that's not what I was saying. I only-"

"Listen here young man, I-"

Their voices must have risen at some point because neither of them hears the door open.

"What the hell is going on in here?"

Ritsu freezes, and his and Kotoko's shouts die out instantly.

"Masamune…" Ritsu isn't sure if his voice is actually loud enough to be heard, but it must be, considering that Masamune turns to look at him. His eyebrows are furrowed in confusion, and his eyes are full of questions.

Kotoko is more than happy to interrupt with more questions of her own. "There you are. Where have you been?" She demands.

When he sees her, it's like he sees a ghost. Masamune exhales sharply like he's just been punched in the stomach. " _Mother_?"

Kotoko doesn't give him the opportunity to recover from his shock. "Why haven't you returned any of my calls? And who on earth is this disrespectful boy that has your house key?" It's practically an interrogation.

Ritsu cringes. True, he doesn't really _care_ about what this woman thinks of him, all things considered, but still.

Masamune blinks a few times, attempting to gather his wits. "Mother, what are you doing here?" His voice holds genuine bewilderment.

"How impertinent," Kotoko says, clearly offended. "Isn't it normal for a mother to visit her son every once in a while?"

' _What bullshit.'_ Ritsu knows for a damn fact that she has _never_ just "dropped in for a visit". He bites his tongue, carefully keeping his protests in check.

"No." Masamune shakes his head. "Not when it's you," he says bluntly. "I haven't heard from you in… in so long. I thought you dialed the wrong number when my phone showed that you were calling me."

Ritsu's heart aches painfully at the confession. He adds another bullet to his list of _Reasons he hates Kotoko Saga._ He's starting to run out of room.

"What? That's hardly fair," Kotoko says defensively. "You know how busy I am."

Masamune sighs heavily, and the sound goes straight to Ritsu's chest. "Yes, I am very aware. But you've been busy for the last twenty-eight years. What makes today any different?" His voice is completely void of emotion now.

Kotoko's stoic facade cracks for just a moment, and she winces like _she's_ the one that's hurt. But then the mask slides right back into place.

Ritsu's heart breaks clean in half, and he reaches a hand out towards Masamune. He's not sure what he's going to do, but he needs to do _something._

Kotoko's face twists into a scowl. "Why are you still here?" She demands.

Ritsu jolts at the unwanted return of her attention and brings his hand back to his side at lightning speed.

"I don't appreciate nosy people," Kotoko informs him. "I am his mother, but you're _not_ family. This has nothing to do with you. I think _you_ should leave."

" _I…_ " Ritsu's pulse pounds annoyingly in his ears.

' _I have no idea what to do in this kind of situation.'_ But he does know that there's no way in hell he's going anywhere unless Masamune tells him to.

"I'm sorry, but I can't do that."

Kotoko's pale cheeks color slightly with outrage at being defied. "You have a lot of nerve," she says harshly; it's clearly not meant as a compliment.

' _No, I really don't.'_

"Hey, leave him out of this," Masamune commands sharply. "I'll admit that you're right about one thing: this is between you and me. _I_ don't appreciate people insulting my boyfriend. Especially you."

Well, _that's_ certainly one way to reveal a relationship. Ritsu's eyes widen, and his breath gets caught somewhere in the back of his throat.

Kotoko appears to have a similar reaction. "Pardon me?"

Masamune simply crosses his arms over his chest and raises an eyebrow in challenge. Ritsu can practically hear him saying _You heard me._

"Exactly how long has this been going on?" She shouts incredulously.

"I've been in love with him since high school," Masamune shugs; a contradiction to his hard, unapologetic tone. "It's kind of a defining characteristic of mine."

Not for the first time, and most likely not for the last, Ritsu wonders how he can say things like that so shamelessly. Not that he minds really…

Kotoko shakes her head vigorously and begins pacing back and forth.

Ritsu thinks it's the most human trait she's shown all day.

Kotoko shakes her head for the final time. "No, that's impossible," she says it like an indisputable fact. "I remember very well that in high school you always kept to yourself. You knew you were too smart to associate with those heathens," she says matter of factly.

Disgust curls in the pit of Ritsu's stomach and the back of his throat suddenly tastes like bile. _'Does she honestly think that little of him?' Reason_ _number…_ okay, he lost count of reasons to dislike Masamune's mother a long time ago, but he assures you it's a very long list.

Masamune scoffs and laughs humorlessly. "I almost forgot how shallow you are. Thanks for the reminder. Although I suppose you aren't _completely_ wrong." He smiles scornfully. "I _did_ choose not to interact with many people back then. But not for the reasons you think."

Ritsu doesn't realize that he's been holding his breath in anticipation until his lungs begin to scream at him.

"I avoided them because they were always so damn happy. Not because I thought I was too good for them," Masamune scoffs. "It freaked me out because I didn't understand how it was possible for anyone to be cheerful all the time. It was weird. I would have been perfectly content never speaking to any of them."

The confession drives a knife into Ritsu's stomach painfully, but it eases slightly when Masamune glances towards him, and his "smile" softens into something far more genuine.

"But then I met the weirdest one of all."

' _He's talking about me, isn't he?'_ Ritsu's not sure if he should take that as a compliment or an insult. He'll worry about it later.

"There was this one kid, who was always so ridiculously happy whenever he saw me." Masamune grins knowingly at Ritsu as his face turns red. "It never made any sense, and even now, I still don't get it. How someone like _me_ could be responsible for another person's happiness like that."

Kotoko draws in a breath like she wants to object, but shock must have made her voice abandon her because she doesn't say anything.

Ritsu vaguely wishes that she'll _keep_ saying nothing.

"But I'm grateful."

Ritsu's chest does a flip at the honesty and what even he can only describe as pure love on Masamune's face.

"Because if I hadn't met him, I honestly don't know where I'd be right now. He was the only thing that kept me sane when you and dad would fight so loudly the neighbors called the police."

Kotoko winces guiltily.

' _I had no idea that I was capable of affecting him so much back then either.'_

Ritsu is completely gobsmacked, to put it unpleasant mixture of anger, sadness, and… protectiveness(?), churns in his stomach. A fundamental fact that he had come to accept about Masamune, was that the man did _not_ talk much about his past; something that both relieved and confused him to no end, but now he thinks he understands why.

' _I promise, I'll never let anyone hurt you, or make you feel like that ever again.'_ Ritsu vows silently to himself. His heart flips again when he notices that Masamune is suddenly looking directly at him. He swears that man can read his mind.

"At this point, he's more family to me than anyone else," Masamune declares firmly.

Yet another flutter in his chest. _'He can't say things like that without warning me!'_ Ritsu spares some hope that his face isn't as red as it feels, but with his luck, he's sure it is.

"And I don't particularly care if you have a problem with it. But if you do, then I think you should just go."

A tense silence falls over the room.

' _Please say something._ Anything _.'_ Ritsu mentally begs Kotoko. He's already lost any and all semblance of respect for her, but she's still Masamune's _mother._ He doesn't want to be the cause of any further estrangement between the two.

The uncomfortable quiet stretches on, and on, and _on_ until it's finally shattered.

 _Ring. Ring. Ring._

Kotoko's sighs as her cellphone screams for attention.

' _Don't answer it. Can't you see that you have more pressing matters at the moment?'_

Masamune's face is carefully blank as he watches to see what his mother will do, and Ritsu would be lying if he said he wasn't doing the same.

' _Please, just this once, put your son first.'_

Kotoko looks back and forth between her phone and her son. There's some obvious symbolism hiding behind the choice she now has to make, but the ringing continues, and for a minute, it looks like she'll make the right one.

She doesn't.

Ritsu's heart sinks to somewhere around his feet when she grabs her phone and takes the call with an irritated huff.

"Yes, this is Saga," Kotoko greets cooly. Only one side of the conversation can be heard, but whoever's on the other end of the line must say something pretty shocking, because her eyes widen in horror. "What!?"

Masamune doesn't bat an eyelash at the sudden loud shriek.

Ritsu nearly jumps five feet into the air.

"No. Do not. What were you _thinking_? How could you say that to a client?" Kotoko pauses in her conversation to pinch the bridge of her nose.

Ritsu's stomach tugs unpleasantly. He recognizes that habit. Now he knows where Masamune gets it from.

"Nevermind, I'll deal with it. Don't you dare; you've already done quite enough. I'm on my way." Kotoko hangs up her phone with a growl of irritation. "Something's come up at work. I have to leave immediately."

' _After all that, you're just going to act like nothing happened and disappear?'_ Outrage and disbelief make Ritsu's hands start to shake, so he clenches them into fists at his side to keep them still.

"Then please, by all means. Don't let us keep you." Sarcasm drips like acid from Masamune's voice, but he doesn't seem surprised in the least. Ritsu's heart twinges in sympathy.

"What do you want me to do, Masamune? It's an emergency," she says accusingly; like _he's_ the one being unreasonable.

Masamune rolls his eyes. "Yeah, yeah, I know. It's always an emergency."

"Don't act like this. You're being immature."

' _That's it.'_ The last shed of Ritsu's patience snaps.

"Are you serious?" He asks quietly.

Not quietly enough though, because Kotoko instantly frowns, and turns to stare at him with something that seems awfully similar to hatred. "What did you just say to me?"

 _Danger, danger!_ Ritsu forces himself to ignore the warning bells going off in his head. "You," Ritsu's voice shakes, but whether it's from fear or fury, he can't tell. "You're the one that came here. Masamune clearly didn't invite you. You can't show up without any warning after… however long it's been since you've seen him, and then just leave again not even ten minutes later."

Kotoko is practically seething now. "You insolent brat. I already told you this is none of your concern. Who the hell do you think you are?" She asks darkly.

"Nobody," Ritsu claims instinctively. "I'm nobody. And I know that this isn't my place, but I…"

 _Say it._

"I…"

 _Say it, you idiot!_

"I love your son, very much. So while I do know that I shouldn't interfere, I had to tell you that the way you're treating him isn't right." Ritsu heartbeat is erratic, and he spares it a brief thought of concern.

Kotoko's eyes flash angrily, and she draws her hand back with blatant intent.

Ritsu reflexively flinches, and braces himself. But the expected strike never comes.

" _Don't._ "

Confused, Ritsu cracks an eye open and sees that Masamune has caught his mother's arm inches away from his face. His eyes are narrowed dangerously, and the phrase "if looks could kill" has never been more appropriate.

"Don't touch me." Kotoko scowls and wrenches her wrist away harshly. "I don't have time for this. I have to go." She whirls around, and walks purposefully towards the door, pausing in the doorway. "I'll come back another time. Hopefully, there won't be any unwanted company lurking around when I do." She glares at Ritsu pointedly.

When she leaves, the door slams behind her loud enough to make teeth rattle.

"Unbelievable." Masamune glowers holes into the front door.

The adrenaline that Ritsu hadn't been aware he was experiencing dulls, and he takes the first deep breath he has in a while. "I don't think she likes me very much." But the feeling was mutual, so honestly, he doesn't mind so much. "What do you-"

Masamune, who is suddenly _much_ closer than before, pulls Ritsu into a painfully tight hug. He's kind of having trouble breathing now.

"H-hey! What's the big idea?"

"I love you." Masamune tightens his hold on Ritsu even more if that's possible. You'd think that after that line being dropped a ridiculous number of times every day, it would start to lose some of its' power.

Sadly, that is not the case.

Ritsu's breath gets stuck in his lungs, and his face heats up alarmingly. "I know that-"

Masamune suddenly releases him, but only in order to tilt Ritsu's head up and kiss the hell out of him.

As usual, Ritsu's brain short circuits. The sensations of Masamune's lips on his, an arm wrapping firmly around his waist, and fingers cradling the back of his head and tangling in his hair is too much for him. His legs turn to jelly, and almost give out on him before he is guided until his back hits the wall roughly.

Masamune happily takes advantage of the surprised gasp Ritsu lets out and deepens the kiss even more until he sees stars. He swears that one of these days his lungs are going to explode. But hey, who needs to breathe anyway?

By the time Masamune deigns to have mercy, Ritsu is in a total daze. He's surprised his feet are still on the ground, because he feels like he could float away any second.

"Thank you" Masamune hugs him again, and rests his forehead on Ritsu's shoulder.

Some of the fog clears out of Ritsu's head. "For what."

"For everything." Masamune presses his lips, curved into a crooked smile, to Ritsu's neck briefly, and he involuntary shivers. "And I'm so, so sorry you had to get involved with this. I never thought she would actually show up like that, but honestly, I'm not too surprised. She always was the dramatic type."

' _Pot, meet kettle.'_

"You say that like you're not." Ritsu teases lightly.

"Oh, haha, very funny." Masamune laughs dryly and rewards Ritsu's sass with a very loving flick on the forehead. "But in all seriousness, if you ever see her hanging around the building again, call me." He says solemnly.

Ritsu can only nod in agreement.

"Good." Masamune smiles and messes up Ritsu's hair even more than he already had earlier. "Now come on, let's take a nap. I was not mentally prepared to deal with my mother today, and I'm exhausted."

"Uh, why do I have to take a nap too? I'm not tired." Ritsu protests out of habit. Now that the idea has been put into his mind, a nap does sound nice…

Masamune must somehow literally be able to smell weakness. "Please?" He leans in _far_ too close so that he can whisper in Ritsu's ear. "I'm emotionally compromised. And you know I don't sleep as well without you."

' _Unfair!'_ Ritsu sputters, and his face heats up a dangerous amount yet again. Dammit, it's not like he has any other option now.

"Fine." Why can he never say no to this guy!? "But only for a little bit. I'm waiting for Ms. Mutou to send me her rough draft."

"Of course." Masamune agrees quickly. His tone is innocent, but the victorious smirk on his face is decidedly _not._

Ritsu fights his childish impulse to kick him in the shin. "I mean it."

"I know." Masamune's smirk softens into a real smile, and his eyes are full of something hazardous to Ritsu's heart.

' _I hope he knows that his mother never deserved anyone like him.'_

Non-confrontational though Ritsu may be, he has no trouble wishing for Kotoko Saga to go crawl in a hole somewhere and never cause Masamune any kind of pain again. But that's probably unrealistic.

But for now, they're okay. _Masamune_ is okay and that's all Ritsu cares about right now. Well, that, and taking a quick nap. Damn, he had forgotten how tired he was earlier.

Ritsu sets his alarm for six o'clock; he knows he does. He triple checked it.

But later, when he wakes up to see Masamune snoring beside him, it takes him awhile to process the unmistakable bright red _nine o'clock_ glaring at him. After blinking blearily a few times, Ritsu realizes two things:

One: Masamune tampered with his alarm.

Two: Masamune tampered with his alarm and Mutou has called him three times!

' _Oh, he is so dead!'_

Ritsu's indignant scream of _Wake the hell up, you jerk!_ Has their apartment receiving noise complaints for the next half an hour.

* * *

 _I know the ending is bad, but consider: I'm tired._


End file.
